The Maldives Meteorological Service (MMS) has predicted heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to prevail across southern atolls this weekend.

As such, the department revealed that islands in northern atolls are expected to experience scattered showers on Friday and heavy rain showers and thunderstorms on Saturday.

Islands across central Maldives will experience scattered showers on Friday and heavy rainfall and thunderstorms on Saturday as well.

Heavy rainfall has been predicted to prevail across islands of southern atolls over the course of the weekend.

The department revealed that scattered showers with a few heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected over southern atolls in general, with a few showers likely to occur in central and northern atolls.

MMS revealed that winds will be west to northwesterly in northern atolls and east to southeasterly elsewhere at 3 – 13 miles per hour elsewhere.

MMS went on to reveal that seas are expected to be slight with a wave height of 2 – 4 feet.

Due to the adverse weather conditions, the department issued a white alert from Thaa atoll to southernmost Addu City in the early hours of Friday.

The white alert was effective from 03:30am to 8:30am.

It was issued for heavy rain and thunderstorms with gusts of 40 miles per hour across the region.

Although tides were recorded as low as -0.1 in the early hours of Friday, it rose to 1.7 in the afternoon and is expected to drop to -0.3 feet in northern atolls, by midnight on Saturday. It will rise to 2.2 feet by Saturday afternoon.

Central atolls experienced tides rising to 1.9 feet on Friday morning, decreasing to 1.5 feet later in the afternoon and rising to 2.1 feet on Saturday morning, falling to 1.3 feet at the end of the day.

The department revealed that southern atolls will experience tides rising to 2.1 feet on Friday afternoon, falling to 1.4 feet by sundown and ascending to 2.4 feet by Saturday afternoon. Tides will be at 1.8 feet after sundown on Saturday.