High heat to continue till March, despite some rain forecast

The prevailing dry and hot weather will likely continue until March, the Department of Meteorology said.

The department’s duty officer, Malith Fernando, said this is usually the period when less rainfall is received. The global situation is also similar. He said the temperature has increased as a result of a decrease in wind flow. When winds decrease, there is no cooling effect on the atmosphere. This explains the rise in temperature. This is a typical occurrence that takes place at this time of year.

There is not much cloud formation, resulting in an extremely humid climate. The evaporation decreases in an atmosphere with higher humidity. As a result, coastal areas, especially, are experiencing very hot conditions.

Colombo, Galle, Matara, and Hambantota districts are experiencing more heat as humidity levels and temperature levels are high. The heat index is calculated by considering these two factors. It is not the usual temperature, it is the temperature our body feels.

However, the department said showers may occur at a few places in the Western, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, Central, NorthWestern, and Uva provinces in the evenings.

Last week, the department issued heat warnings for several districts, cautioning people not to be exposed to excessive heat as it can have detrimental health effects.

According to the heat index, the temperature felt on the human body is expected to increase up to ‘Caution’ level in some places in the North-Western and North-Central provinces and Gampaha, Colombo, Hambantota, Trincomalee, Kurunegala, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, and Anuradhapura districts.

According to the Met Department, the temperature in many districts is likely to rise by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius during the next five days. In the past few days, more than eight districts in the country have seen maximum daytime temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, with Ratnapura recording the highest at 36.0 degrees Celsius.