Orange alert for 4 Keralam districts amid heavy rain warning

Women workers walk through farmland in the rain in this file photo. | Photo Credit: PTI Parts of Keralam will continue to see heavy thunderstorms in coming days, with Bay of Bengal low-pressure systems bringing thunder, lightning, and gusty winds. A low-pressure area has formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Tamil Nadu coast on Wednesday. The associated cyclonic circulation will help maintain the moisture influx towards Keralam, supporting isolated to heavy to very heavy thunderstorms along the ghat regions and southern and central half of the State.Further, another low-pressure area is expected to emerge over the southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal around October 23. As it moves northwestwards and intensifies, it could strengthen the moisture flow towards peninsular India, triggering a gradual increase in rainfall activity over Keralam from October 23, 24 and 25, with fairly widespread distribution of rain across the State.Meanwhile, the low-pressure area over the Arabian Sea is moving away towards the Somalia coast and is therefore unlikely to have a direct significant influence on Keralam’s weather. An orange alert has been issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, and Kootayam districts on Wednesday (October 21), where very heavy rainfall is likely during the next 24 hours, according to a weather bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) here on Wednesday at 1 p.m., while Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram have been placed on a yellow alert where isolated heavy rainfall is likely.Similarly, an orange alert has been issued for Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode on Thursday (October 22), and the rest of Keralam has been put on a yellow alert. Meanwhile, Ponmudi in Thiruvananthapuram recorded the highest rainfall of 14 cm during the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday, followed by Kollam (11 cm), Peppara in Thiruvananthapuram, Chavara in Kollam and Pampadumpara in Idukki with 9 cm each. Published - October 21, 2026 04:01 pm IST