Colombo records its coldest day ever
January 13, 2011, 9:59 pm
by Lal Gunasekera
Colombo recorded its lowest temperature, 18.8 degrees centigrade in 61 years yesterday. The earlier lowest temperature previously recorded was 15.2 centigrade on Jan. 4, 1950.
Meteorologist In-Charge D. A. Jayasinghearachchi told The Island that the average temperature in January was 22.3 degree centigrade.
He said that Nuwara-Eliya had recorded 7.9 degrees centigrade (average 9.4) while the lowest recorded there was 2.6 degrees centigrade on Jan. 14, 1929, Batticaloa yesterday recorded 16.9. degrees centigrade.
Hambantota, Katugastota, Mahailuppallama and Ratnapura recorded 4 degrees centigrade below the average. Katunayake, Bandarawela and Ratnapura areas recorded 3 degrees below average, while Kurunegala was 6 degrees below average.
Jayasinghearachchi said that low temperatures of 3 to 4 degrees below average had been recorded in Jaffna (23 degrees centigrade) and Vavuniya (20 degrees centigrade).
He said that normally December and January were cold months for Sri Lanka, but this month due to the cloudy skies with hardly any sunlight the temperature was very low in the atmosphere.
He said the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere countries, particularly in theUKand the US from where the winds blew was affecting countries like Sri Lanka.
He said that the cold weather would continue for the next two days with the skies clearing thereafter.