Ratnapura sits in Sri Lanka’s central highlands, where elevation and exposure to both monsoon seasons combine to produce some of the island’s heaviest rainfall totals.
Known as the ‘City of Gems,’ Ratnapura sits at the foot of Adam’s Peak, where the Kalu Ganga river can rise very quickly during intense highland rain. Steep hillside terrain, much of it covered in tea plantations, makes this region particularly prone to landslides during intense rain, and radar tracking of storm cells is an important complement to Sri Lanka’s landslide early-warning systems. Learn more: Flash Flood Warning Signs on Radar · Open the full Rain Map