SW monsoon activates, heavy rain today

Wet weather will prevail in Western, Sabaragmuwa and Central provinces and in Galle and Matara districts today, the Meteorology Department forecasted. 

Sabaragmuwa province and Nuwaraeliya and Kandy districts will see heavy rainfall above 75mm as a result of the activation of the South West monsoon. 

The Department also issued a strong winds advisory to those residing in the western slopes of the Central hills, Northern, North Western and North Central provinces and in Hambantota and Trincomalee districts. 

Naval and fishing communities are requested to be on alert due to the possibility of swell waves due to strong winds and rough seas. 

The National Building Research Organization(NBRO) has issued a landslide early warning for Ambagamuwa divisional area in Nuwaraeliya. 

All schools coming under the Hatton zonal education office will be closed today. 

Zonal Education Director P.Sridharan informed all school principals that the present inclement weather will pose a danger to both students and teachers. 

According to the Disaster Management Centre, heavy rains, strong winds and cutting failure has caused damage to over 40 houses in Kandy, Nuwaraeliya and Ratnapura districts yesterday  affecting 188 persons from 44 families. 

Eight postal workers were injured when a telecommunication tower fell on top of a post office in Kantale as a result of strong winds on Tuesday.

Strong winds toppled a jack fruit tree onto a class room in Kegalle yesterday. A group of school students were rushed to the Kegalle district hospital.