A red alert for thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning was issued for seven districts, the Department of Meteorology said today.

They said fairly heavy rainfall of more than 50 mm could be expected in some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.

There may be thundershowers in Eastern and Uva provinces and in Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts in the evening or night, they said.

Accordingly, the nine districts, including Mullative, Vavunia, Trinkomalee, Batticoloa, Ampara, Badulla and Monaragala, have been alerted over the weather conditions.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize the damage caused by lightning activity.

The Meteorology Department advised people to seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees. They also advised avoiding open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations, playgrounds and open water bodies during thunderstorms. Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms. Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats. Beware of fallen trees and power lines. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)