Severe lightning warning issued for several areas

The Department of Meteorology’s forecast, issued at 5.30 a.m. on 18 October 2026, said showers or thundershowers could occur in several places across most of Sri Lanka after 1 p.m.

The reports give overlapping but not identical lists of areas where fairly heavy rain above 75 mm is possible. Newswire names Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces, and Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee and Mullaitivu districts. Rupavahini News includes Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North Central provinces, as well as Trincomalee and Mullaitivu. Daily Mirror separately reports rainfall exceeding 100 mm as likely in parts of Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Matara, Galle and Puttalam districts.

Morning showers may affect coastal parts of Western Province and the districts of Galle, Puttalam, Mannar and Jaffna, according to Rupavahini News. Newswire lists coastal areas of Puttalam, Mannar and Jaffna. Mist may form in parts of Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces during the early morning.

The meteorological department urged the public to take precautions against temporary, localized strong winds and lightning accompanying thunderstorms. The reports also include headlines referring to a separate heavy-rain advisory for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Badulla, an alert above 150 mm for six districts, and severe lightning alerts for 16 districts; the supplied text does not provide the details or timing of those advisories.

Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.