The orange alert issued for very rough seas and strong winds, has been extended.

The Maldives Meteorological Service (MMS) initially issued the orange warning from 11:15am to 03:15pm on Thursday.

The orange alert was issued from Haa Alif atoll to Vaavu atoll.

It has since been extended through 07:15pm, Thursday.

During the alert period, squally showers with strong winds of 34 – 40 miles per hour and gust winds of 60 miles per hour are expected.

Further, “very rough seas” are also likely to prevail across these regions.

The alert comes amid several alerts, white, yellow and orange, being issued throughout the country as the island nation continues to experience strong monsoon activities, wreaking havoc in their wake, across the country. MMS has also warned of possible swell waves during high tide times, across a vast region.

Adverse weather conditions will continue to prevail nationwide in the next few days, according to the department

This is the first time in recent history that the department has had to issue so many orange warnings, in the span of a few weeks.

Maldives experiences heavy rain showers and adverse weather conditions during the southwest monsoon as well as the northeast monsoon. Extensive periods of strong winds and adverse weather conditions are usually experienced mostly during the southwest monsoon.

Such adverse weather conditions have caused trees to uproot, roofs to be torn off, and heavy debris falling onto houses, causing immense damage. The squally weather during monsoon also causes extensive damage to crop in some islands and presents challenges for seafarers and fishermen as well. Some islands have been experiencing swell waves surges during high tides as well.