Warning issued for severe lightning in several areas

The Meteorology Department has issued an advisory for severe lightning for several provinces and districts today (27).

Thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in Western, Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura, Mannar, Galle and Matara districts, it said.

There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

The advisory states that the risk level is “High” in the aforementioned areas and urges the public to avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.

The general public is further requested to avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms and to also avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors, boats etc. and to beware of fallen trees and power lines.

For emergency assistance, the public is requested to contact local disaster management authorities.