Monsoon brings heavy rain to Sri Lanka by Darren Bett
The southwestern summer monsoon arrived a day early this year, drenching parts of India and the nearby regions with heavy rain. The ‘southwest monsoon’ refers to the winds during the rainy season, which normally runs from June until September. Due to the Indian subcontinent heating up over the summer seasons, an area of low pressure is created over central India, bringing heavy rain.
At least 15 people have been killed by this year’s monsoon in Sri Lanka, while more than 150,000 have been made homeless. Torrential rain has been lashing the Indian Ocean nation’s western districts of Colombo, Gampaha and Mathara; Colombo being one of the worst hit areas.
Forecasters at the Indian Meteorological Centre expect the rainfall to become more organised over the next few weeks as the monsoon pattern begins to settle.