The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has put several Kerala districts on red alert on Friday and Saturday, given the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall (in excess of 20 cm in a 24-hour period) triggered by the turbulent weather over the Arabian Sea.
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Southern districts Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta are on red alert on Friday and northern districts Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod, on Saturday, the IMD indicated in a 4 p.m. bulletin. Kerala does not lie in the projected path of the weather system.
Given the possibility of isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall, orange alerts have been issued for Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Idukki on Friday. Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad are on yellow alert for isolated heavy rainfall on Friday. Orange alerts have been issued for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur and Palakkad on Saturday. Most Kerala districts can expect isolated heavy rainfall till May 17.
A low pressure area which formed over southeast Arabian Sea on Thursday morning is expected to become well marked over Lakshadweep by Friday morning and concentrate into a depression over the same region by Saturday morning. In the subsequent 24 hours it is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm. ‘’It is very likely to intensify further and move north- northwestwards towards Gujarat and adjoining Pakistan coasts. It is likely to reach near Gujarat coast around the evening of May 18,’’ IMD said.
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Kerala has received more than its normal share of summer rainfall this season. Rainfall has intensified in most of the districts over the past few days.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged the public to be on their guard as the evolving weather system could trigger heavy winds and coastal erosion along Kerala. He also directed government departments to complete their preparations on a waro-footing. People residing in vulnerable locations should be prepared to evacuate if needed, he said. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has prohibited fishing activities along the Kerala coast till further notice.
In order to deal with the situation, the Coast Guard has constituted response teams at Kochi, Beypore and Vizhinjam for coordinating rescue operations. Coast Guard ships and aircraft have directed fishermen to make for the nearest port of safety. The Coast Guard control room in Kochi will be coordinating efforts to provide assistance to fishermen.