16 April 2021 02:58 pm
A Red alert on thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning was issued for nine districts, the Department of Meteorology said today.
They said fairly heavy rainfall of more than 75 mm could be expected at some places in Eastern, Central and Uva provinces and in Polonnaruwa and Mullaitivu districts.
There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers, they said.
Accordingly, the nine districts including Mullative, Vavunia, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Matale, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and Monaragala 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)