Red alert for 16 districts over severe lightning: Met Dept.

A Red alert on thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning was issued for 16 districts, the Department of Meteorology said today.

They said fairly heavy rainfall of more than 100 mm could be expected at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central Provinces, Galle and Matara Districts.

There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers, they said.

Accordingly, 16 districts including Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Anuradhapura, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Kandy, Gampaha, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Colombo, Kalutara, Ratnapura, Galle and Matara have been alerted over the weather conditions.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize the damage caused by lightning activity.

The Meteorology Department advised people to seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees. They also advised avoiding open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations, playgrounds and open water bodies during thunderstorms. Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms. Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats. Beware of fallen trees and power lines. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)