Red notice issued for 17 districts over severe lightning: Met Dept.

Red notice on thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning was issued for 17 districts - Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, North-western and Northern Provinces and in Galle, Matara and Anuradhapura districts, the Department of Meteorology said today.

They said heavy falls could be expected at some places in the areas and there may be temporary localised strong winds during thundershowers.

Accordingly, the 17 districts including Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Anuradhapura, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Gampaha, Kegalle, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Colombo, Kalutara, Ratnapura, Galle and Matata have been marked in red.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by lightning activity.

The Meteorology Department advised the 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 areas 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)