Over the past weekend there was a major flooding event in Sri Lanka.  Quoting from the CNN World News Web-page, dateline May 18: "  Flash floods and landslides killed 141 people in south-central Sri Lanka this weekend, state media reported Monday. Meteorology officials warned more rain was on its way. About 150,000 people have fled their homes, officials said. They are being housed in temples, schools and public buildings. The state-run Daily News, quoting state officials in worst-hit Ratnapura district and the adjoining areas of Hambabtota and Matara, put the death toll at 141. Local officials in Ratnapura and Hambabtota, reached by telephone, said 69 bodies had been recovered and 47 others were believed buried in a landslide that wiped out an entire village. They said the death toll was expected to rise. Officials in Matara could not immediately be contacted. The flash floods hit the area late Saturday, when most residents had returned to their homes after celebrating a festival marking the birth of Buddha.

Looking at the Eumetsat image for Saturday 1330 UTC 17 May 2003 (on my web-page) there is a well-organised east-west extending line of tropical convection lying across ocean South of India and over the western end of Sri Lanka. Looking at the contemporaneous large scale 850 hPa analysis (also on my web-page), the cloud is associated with a confluence zone that seems to be "feeder cloud" to the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal.  Kinematically, the flow looks a lot like outer-rain band feeder convergent flow for the TC.

Does anyone out there have any more details? e.g. exactly when did the rain fall?  24-hourly totals etc?

regards

John McB