Bad weather forecast for central Maldives, MET issues Orange Warning

Amidst the ongoing bout of rough weather in the country, Maldives Meteorological Service (MET) has issued an Orange Warning for the atolls which lie in central Maldives.

The forecast which is issued until 20:30 hrs tonight details strong winds between 36 and 42 miles per hour, going up to as high as 60 miles per hour during sudden gusts.

Seas are also expected to be very rough during this time. Travelling by sea is discouraged unless absolutely necessary and must be done with all safety measures in place.

While strong winds are also being experienced in Malé City some incidents of branches falling have also been reported.

Malé City Council revealed a report of an incident where a tree fell in front of Velanage, damaging a parked motorcycle and one that was passing by.

MET forecasts the next three days to come with similar weather, with some islands likely to experience swell waves during high tides.

While an Orange Warning in Maldives is rare, it was issued for the first time during May 2020 after recording 90 millimetres of rain within an hour, and winds up to 63 miles per hour.

However, it has been issued from time to time with the most recent being last Saturday for atolls in southern Maldives.

An Orange Warning is a level three alert forecasting heavy rain and floods of around 90 millimetres of rain in an hour or 120 millimetres of rain in six hours.

The first level is a White Alert (information), indicating significant thunderstorms forecasts with evidence from satellite, radar or the Lightning Detection Network (LDN). The second alert level is a Yellow Advisory forecasting moderate thunderstorms backed by evidence from satellite, radar or the Lightning Detection Network (LDN). Red Warnings are issued with 180 millimetres of rain in six hours. Winds during a red warning reach as high as 70 miles per hour.

Hulhan'gu monsoon started in south of Maldives last Friday, as typical for the first or second week of May, which is expected to extend to the rest of the country by the end of the month. The monsoon is expected to last until the end of November.

MET previously revealed that this year's Hulhan'gu monsoon is expected to bring unusual amounts of rain, especially up mid and north Maldives during July, August and September.