A 23-year-old woman has died after being struck by lightning in the Handapanagala Kenhatha area of the Wellawaya Divisional Secretariat in Monaragala district, Newswire reported on Thursday.
The fatality is the first confirmed death linked to the current unstable weather pattern that prompted the Meteorological Department to issue severe thunderstorm and lightning warnings across 20 districts earlier this week.
Evening thunderstorms have become a daily feature across several parts of the country as transitional weather builds ahead of the southwest monsoon. The Met Department has repeatedly urged the public to seek shelter indoors during thunder activity, avoid open fields, and keep away from trees and metal objects.
The warnings come against a backdrop of wider weather volatility. The department has flagged an El Niño-linked drought risk from September onwards, while several districts have also recorded elevated daytime heat-index readings. Major hydropower reservoirs, including Castlereigh and Maussakelle, remain at low operating levels — a factor directly feeding into the electricity tariff escalation now before the Public Utilities Commission.
Police have not released further details on the victim.
