A weather system in the Bay of Bengal brought heavy rain and strong winds to Sri Lanka on 26 and 27 November, causing floods and landslides.

The rain has affected much of the country as the storm approaches the south-east coast of the island. It is estimated that more than 77,000 people have been affected. One person was reported killed, and search efforts are ongoing to find people who were lost in flood waters. Hundreds of homes were damaged and over 3,000 people have been evacuated so far.

Both flood waters and landslides have restricted access to roads and damaged bridges, with reports of Ampara, Badulla, Matale, Monaragala, and the capital city of Colombo being affected. The town of Ampara is currently inaccessible by road.

Forecasts suggest the storm may strengthen on 28 November and form a cyclone as it draws closer to Sri Lanka. In the meantime, water levels in rivers continue to rise, putting low-lying areas at risk of more flooding.

This flood is the latest in a series of weather events to affect the island this year, following floods in October and June.