ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka’s high heat with windless conditions are expected to continue until the Southwest Monsoon begins, officials warned, asking children, pregnant mothers, and the elderly to be vigilant about dehydration symptoms.

“This will continue until the beginning of the Southwest monsoon,” Shiromani Jayawardena, Meteorologist at the Department of Meteorology, told EconomyNext.

“If we receive thunderstorms with a significant amount of rain, with the evaporation, there will be some sort of temporary relief.”

Currently, the country is in the inter-monsoon season, which is between the Northeast monsoon and the Southwest monsoon.

“Due to the lack of wind during this time, sweat is not evaporating, and the temperature we feel is somewhat higher than other times,” Jayawardena said.

“That is because of the high humidity. This will reduce when we have strong winds.”

In Sri Lanka, the mean monthly temperatures differ slightly depending on the seasonal movement of the sun, with some modified influence caused by rainfall. In the lowlands, the mean annual temperature varies between 26.5°C to 28.5°C, with an annual temperature of 27.5°C.

In the highlands, however, above-average temperature was recorded in areas such as Anuradhapura, Ratnapura, Jaffna, and Vavuniya in the past 24 hours.

According to the department’s forecast, the heat index, the temperature felt on the human body, is expected to increase up to the ‘Caution’ level at some places in the Western, North-Western, Northern, North-Central, and Eastern provinces, and Monaragala, Rathnapura, and Hambantota Districts.

Due to the extreme temperature prevailing in the country, the public is urged to take the necessary safety measures to guard against heat-related illnesses, especially school children, pregnant mothers, and elderly people.

“To avoid too much sun exposure, avoid long-standing under the sun, and to hydrate themselves properly, an adult should drink at least 2.5 litres of water.”