Yellow alert for torrential rain and thunderstorms

The national weather agency issued a yellow weather alert on Monday, forecasting torrential rain and thunderstorms for a large part of Maldives.

The yellow alert is in effect for the area from R. Atoll to M. Atoll from 07:30 am to 11:30 am Monday.

The area will be affected by torrential rain and thunderstorms, said the Maldives Meteorological Service.

The weather agency forecasts scattered showers with a few heavy showers and thunderstorms across the Maldives.

The agency also forecasts southwest to westerly winds at 13-23 miles per hour, gusting up to 40 miles per hour during showers.

Seas are expected to be rough with waves of 4-7 feet.

Alert Yellow for torrential rain and thunderstorms. pic.twitter.com/WsdVD42JAN

— Maldives Meteorology (@MetMaldives) May 19, 2025

The yellow alert comes as the active Southwest Monsoon, locally known as the Hulhangu Monsoon, gathers strength, unleashing heavy rain and thunderstorms across the Maldives.

The bad weather conditions are expected to prevail through Tuesday.

Seas are expected to be especially rough in central and northern regions of the country.

The weather agency advised everyone, especially seafarers, to keep up to date with the weather situation.

The Maldives experiences two distinct seasons: the Southwest or Hulhangu Monsoon, which typically runs from May to November, and the Northeast or Iruvai Monsoon, which usually lasts from January to March.

The impact of the Hulhangu Monsoon is initially felt in the southern regions around the first or second week of May, spreading to the central regions and eventually encompassing the entire country by the end of the month.

This year, the Hulhangu Monsoon commenced for the southern region on May 7.