9 July 2020 12:00 am
by Chaturanga Samarawickrama
Red notice on thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning was issued for 15 districts in Eastern, North-central, Central, Uva, Sabaragamuwa, and Southern province, the Department of Meteorology said today.
They said fairly heavy falls of more than 75 mm could be expected at some places in the areas and there may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers.
Accordingly, the 15 districts including Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Matale, Kandy, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Ampara, Monaragala, Ratnapura, Galle, Matara and Hambantota have been marked in red.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
The Meteorology Department advised the people to seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees. They also advised to avoid 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.