The India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow warning for heavy rainfall in six Kerala districts on Monday, while forecasting rain, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds across Kerala and Lakshadweep through October 10.
The warning covers Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Malappuram on Monday. A separate yellow warning has been issued for Malappuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki and Palakkad on Wednesday.
A yellow warning indicates that weather conditions require close monitoring, particularly by residents, commuters and local authorities in areas vulnerable to waterlogging, landslides, falling branches and disruption to transport. The warning itself does not indicate that all locations in the listed districts will receive the same intensity of rain.
The IMD said rain or thundershowers are likely at many places in Kerala and at a few places in Lakshadweep until October 10. The forecast places the weather alert within a broader period of unsettled conditions rather than limiting the risk to a single spell in the districts under warning.
Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds, with wind speeds reaching 40-50 kmph, are very likely at one or two places over Kerala and Lakshadweep until Tuesday, according to the department. Similar thunderstorms are forecast at one or two places over Kerala on Wednesday and Thursday, with wind speeds expected to reach 30-40 kmph.
The combination of heavy rain, lightning and strong winds has direct implications for urban operations. Waterlogging can slow traffic and affect access to neighbourhoods, while lightning and gusty winds can create risks for people outdoors and for temporary structures, roadside hoardings, trees and exposed construction sites. The supplied forecast does not identify specific urban locations likely to experience these impacts.
The alert also covers Ernakulam on Wednesday, placing Kochi and other parts of the district within the period for which heavy rainfall has been forecast. The warning is relevant to daily commuting, road movement and municipal drainage management, although the IMD bulletin does not provide a district-wise rainfall total or a forecast of specific flooding locations.
Kozhikode recorded a maximum temperature of 4.7 degrees Celsius above its normal maximum of 31.5 degrees Celsius. The reported reading places the city’s maximum temperature at approximately 36.2 degrees Celsius, highlighting the contrast between elevated daytime heat and the possibility of rain and thunderstorms across the state.
No district has been placed under a warning for the remaining days in the forecast period, the report said. However, the IMD has continued to forecast rain or thundershowers at many places in Kerala and at a few places in Lakshadweep until October 10, with separate thunderstorm and wind risks continuing through Thursday.