Showery condition expected in next few days: Met

The prevailing showery conditions are expected to continue in the next couple of days, Meteorology Department Director General K.H.S Premalal said today.

Addressing the Disaster Management media conference, Mr. Premalal said showers and thundershowers will occur at times mostly in the south western part of the country including the Western, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-Western provinces.

Accordingly heavy showers between 100 mm to 150 mm can be expected at times in several places in the above provinces while other provinces will also receive showers or thunder showers after 2 pm.

Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Deputy Director (Early Warning) Pradeep Kodippili said 125,954 individuals belonging to 32,136 families in 140 Divisional Secretariats (DS) in 19 Districts had been affected by floods and adverse weather conditions by this evening. Among them 54,250 individuals belong to 13,832 were housed in 251 welfare centres.

A total of 13 fatalities reported where five of them killed in drowning incidents, another five from lighting struck and two individuals from tree falling due to high winds and one individual from cut slope failure.

Meanwhile, National Building Research Organization (NBRO) Senior Geologist Gamini Jayatissa said ‘Red Alert’ (Evacuation) issued to several Divisional Secretariats in Ratnapura, Kegalle, Nuwara-Eliya, Kalutara and Galle Districts and the Amber alert issued to Kandy, Matale, Badulla, Kurunegala, Colombo and Gampaha Districts had been further extended until 4 pm tomorrow. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)