Kerala braces for heavy rains: Yellow alerts sounded for nine districts today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Pre-monsoon summer showers are intensifying across Kerala, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue heavy rainfall yellow warnings for isolated areas in nine districts today. The affected regions placed under alert for May 17 include Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod.

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon has advanced into parts of the southeast Arabian Sea, Maldives, and the Andaman & Nicobar region, and is projected to arrive in Kerala by the end of next week around May 26—nearly six days ahead of its normal schedule. Weather officials indicate that the current spell of widespread summer rains will likely persist with intermittent intensity until the monsoon officially sets in over the state.