The India Meteorological Department issued a red alert and warned of heavy rainfall in Kerala on Thursday.
"Under the influence of the cyclonic circulation over south Kerala and the neighbourhood, a low-pressure area has formed over the southeast Arabian Sea off the Kerala coast, and the associated cyclonic circulation extends up to 7.6 km above mean sea level," the IMD said in a statement.
According to the weather department, the red alert was issued for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki and Alappuzha. Although Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam were earlier placed under an orange alert, the IMD later upgraded the warning, predicting extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places there.
Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad continue to be on orange alert, while Kannur and Kasaragod remain on yellow alert, the IMD said. Parts of Kochi were flooded after heavy rainfall on Wednesday evening.
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has warned fishermen against venturing into the sea until further notice. High waves in the range of 0.4 to 3.3 metres and sea incursions are forecasted along the coast of Kerala, from Vizhinjam in the south to Kasaragod in the north, until Thursday night.
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority said four deaths had been reported from across Kerala in various rain-related incidents.
Cyclone
A well-marked low-pressure area lies over the west-central and adjoining south Bay of Bengal. It is very likely to move northeastward and concentrate into a depression over central parts of the Bay of Bengal by Friday morning.
It is expected to continue to move northeastwards, intensify further into a cyclonic storm over east-central Bay of Bengal by Saturday morning and reach near Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts by Sunday evening as a severe cyclonic storm.
Heat Wave
The northwest region of the country can expect severe heat-wave conditions for the next five days. Heat-wave conditions may prevail over Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat during the period.
(With inputs from PTI)
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