Thundershowers, strong winds to tear through the Maldives this weekend
This comes at a time the weather department has predicted that a spell of bad weather is expected to cloak the Maldives in the coming days
Flooding in the capital city due to heavy rainfall
Thunderstorms and strong winds have been expected in some parts of the Maldives this weekend.
Maldives Meteorological Service revealed that islands in northern atolls will experience thunderstorms and heavy rainfall this weekend.
Strong winds and heavy rainfall are expected in islands in central and southern atolls on Friday and Saturday.
This comes at a time the weather department has predicted that a spell of bad weather is expected to cloak the Maldives in the coming days.
As such, it was revealed that the weather would worsen starting Wednesday.
A statement issued by the weather department announced that this is the southwest monsoon season in the Maldives and there is a possibility of low-pressure systems forming during this period.
According to the department a low-pressure system that has formed in the Bay of Bengal is expected to move towards the coast of Tamil Nadu in southern India within the next two days.
The statement goes on to read that another low-pressure system is forming far south of the Maldives and will be moving westward. In connection with these two low-pressure systems, it has been said that winds will generally be strong in the Maldives for five days starting from Wednesday.
During this period, winds are expected to gust at speeds between 17 miles and 27 miles per hour in the southern and central atolls, while in the northern atolls, winds are expected to gust at speeds between 13 miles and 23 miles per hour.
The statement reads that seas in the southern and central regions are expected to be very rough and seas in the northern atolls will be rough.
It has also been revealed that due to the worsening weather, there is a possibility of swell wave surges in southern and central areas.
The department has requested all parties, especially sea travelers, to be cautious due to the adverse weather conditions expected to prevail for the next few days.
Due to the heavy rainfall, some islands in the Maldives have been experiencing flooding as well. Between 8am Tuesday and 8am Wednesday, Alifushi island of Raa atoll experienced 67.2 millimeters of rainfall. 65.9 millimeters of rainfall were experienced in Thoddoo island of Alif Alif atoll. Further, Maafaru island of Noonu atoll experienced 58.7 millimeters of rainfall and Komandoo island of Shaviyani atoll experienced 54.1 millimeters of rainfall
Although tides were recorded as high as 2.9 feet in the early hours of Friday, it rose to 1.8 by afternoon and will drop to 0.3 by nightfall in northern atolls.
Central atolls experienced tides rising as high as 2.4 in the early hours of Friday, dropping to 0.4 by morning and rising to 1.6 in the afternoon. It will drop to 0.1 by nightfall. Tides will rise to 2.3 feet in the early hours of Saturday before dropping to 0.4 by the end of the day.
The department revealed that southern atolls will experience tides dropping from 2.5 to 0.2 by the end of Friday and ascending to 2.4 feet by early Saturday and dropping further to 0.5 by the end of the day.
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 wave surges during high tides as well.
