Heavy rain disrupts life in Kerala; red alert in Kannur, Kasaragod districts

Thiruvananthapuram: Torrential rains continued to batter parts of Kerala on Friday, throwing daily life out of gear. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded a red alert for Kannur and Kasaragod districts on Saturday.

The IMD has said on Friday the southwest monsoon was expected to hit Kerala within two days, with widespread rain likely across the state over the coming week.

May 24

• Red Alert: Kannur, Kasaragod
• Orange Alert: 9 districts – Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad
• Yellow alert: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha

May 25

• Red Alert: Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod
• Orange Alert: 7 districts- Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad
• Yellow alert: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam

May 26

• Red Alert: Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasaragod
• Orange Alert: 4 districts- Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad
• Yellow alert: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha

May 27

• Orange Alert: 6 districts- Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod
• Yellow Alert- remaining districts

A red alert denotes extremely heavy rainfall of over 20 cm in 24 hours, orange indicates very heavy rain between 11 cm and 20 cm, and yellow signifies heavy rain ranging from 6 cm to 11 cm.

The IMD also warned of strong winds in coastal and inland areas and urged the public, especially fishermen, to remain cautious. Fishing has been banned along the Kerala-Karnataka-Lakshadweep coasts from Friday through May 27.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) forecast high waves of up to 3.5 metres at various coastal locations on Saturday.