IMD issues orange alert in two Kerala districts amid heavy rains
text_fields
Thiruvananthapuram: With heavy rains pounding parts of Kerala on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for three southern districts of the state.
As per the IMD’s latest advisory, Kottayam and Idukki were placed under an orange alert, while Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Malappuram were issued a yellow alert.
Meteorological data showed that Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta each recorded isolated rainfall of 5 cm, while Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, and Kottayam registered around 4 cm. Despite the widespread rain, none of the 137 stations that reported precipitation recorded heavy showers, TNIE reported.
The IMD noted that a low-pressure system is expected to develop over the southeast Arabian Sea and the Lakshadweep region near the Kerala-Karnataka coast around October 19. Rain and thundershowers are likely across most parts of the state until October 21.
Officials also mentioned that conditions have become favourable for the onset of the northeast monsoon following the complete withdrawal of the southwest monsoon, and a formal declaration is anticipated soon. The state, they added, experienced a normal southwest monsoon this year.