Central and north Kerala is likely to witness an intense spell of rain in the coming days, triggered by a trough of low-pressure that runs off the Karnataka and Kerala coasts.
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During active monsoon season, a shallow trough of low pressure is observed along the west coast of India, which is responsible for strengthening the monsoon in terms of rainfall, in the adjacent parts of the coastal belt, with monsoon moisture from the Arabian Sea drawing into the trough.
The system quite frequently develops off the west coast of India, anywhere from north Kerala to south Gujarat. The synoptic conditions are favourable for the extension of the trough up to Gujarat in the coming days.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for three districts — Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Kannur — on Friday, warning of very heavy rainfalls, and a yellow alert for seven districts except for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Kottayam.
An orange alert has been issued for five districts from Malappuram to Kasaragod on Saturday and six districts from Palakkad to Kasaragod on Sunday.
The trough is also poised to trigger widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds across the State over the next five days.
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Meanwhile, Thiruvananthapuram Airport recorded the highest rainfall of 8 cm in the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Thursday, followed by Kollam with 7 cm.
Anticipating heavy rainfall and strong winds, the State government has requested the pre-deployment of nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams equipped with flood rescue, collapsed structure search and rescue, and communication gear across key districts.
The 24x7 control room of the NDRF at Arakkonam will closely monitor the situation in collaboration with Kerala’s emergency operation control room.