Three cyclonic circulations and strong westerly winds; heavy rain likely in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Multiple cyclonic circulations over the Indian subcontinent are expected to bring widespread rainfall to Kerala over the coming days. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a cyclonic circulation is currently active over northern Karnataka and Marathwada, while another system hovers over the west-central Bay of Bengal, close to the northern coast of Andhra Pradesh. A third circulation remains over northern Odisha. With strong westerly winds prevailing across Kerala, the IMD has forecast extensive rainfall across the state for the next five days.

Given the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall in the state, the IMD has issued a red alert for today in the districts of Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasargod, An orange alert has been issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Palakkad districts.

In the next three hours, isolated areas in Kasargod district are likely to experience heavy rain (red alert: valid for the next three hours only) accompanied by strong winds reaching speeds of up to 50 kn/h. The IMD also stated that isolated areas in Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kannur districts (orange alert: valid for the next three hours only) may witness moderate rain and strong winds with speeds of up to 50 km/h.