Red alert in two districts in Kerala, heavy rain seen for next 4-5 days
The second day of a sustained torrential downpour started by a monsoon storm has forced authorities in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district to raise the shutters of a small dam that was on track for the driest June in 47 years. Heavy to very heavy rains are forecast in many parts of the state for the next 3-4 days as well. The state administration declared a loud vigil, while the NDRF stands by in vulnerable areas.
Alerts announced
All educational institutions in Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts united by lakes and canals were ordered to close on Tuesday. Red alert status has been declared in Idukki and Kannur districts, and orange alert status in 10 other districts. A yellow alert was sounded in the state’s two remaining districts on Tuesday. As for Wednesday, a red alert was previously announced in Kozhikode district.
More heavy rain is seen
Precipitation locally intensified with the outflow of a marine basin from southern Maharashtra to the Kerala coast. The trough becomes completely desolate (stretching from southern Gujarat into Kerala) and truncated as it did on Tuesday, marking the active or passive state of the monsoon locally. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said light to moderate to somewhat scattered to widespread rain, with violent to heavy rainfall, will continue over southern India for the next five days. Very isolated heavy rains are likely over Kerala on Tuesday and Wednesday, and over coastal Karnataka and the southern interior on Tuesday.
Konkan, Goa’s view
To the north of the country, a comprehensive terrestrial basin is in situ, while a secondary basin extends from the hills of West Bengal and Sikkim to northern Chhattisgarh. A cyclonic spin continued over southern Gujarat, while another was stuck over the southwestern Bay of Bengal on Tuesday. Light to moderate widespread somewhat to widespread precipitation, with heavy to very heavy rain very likely over the Konkan, Goa and Ghat regions of Madhya Maharashtra, during the next five days, and over Gujarat from Thursday to Saturday.
Busy in North East India
Meanwhile, a third cyclonic circulation is located over northwestern Uttar Pradesh and will combine with a terrestrial basin and secondary basin from the hills of West Bengal to northern Chhattisgarh, bringing widespread light to moderate rainfall with isolated torrential rains. Very heavy falls on the hills of West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur over the next five days and very heavy falls on Meghalaya on Tuesday. Isolated heavy rains are also likely over Bihar and Jharkhand on Tuesday, and over Odisha for four days from Wednesday.
Rain alert for Uttarakhand
As for northwest India, a spread of light to moderate to somewhat heavy rain, with isolated torrential rains, is likely over Uttarakhand over the next five days, and over eastern Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday and Wednesday; and over Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday and Thursday.