IMD issues hot and humid warning for Kerala

Kochi: On a day Palakkad crossed the 40-degree mark on the mercury scale, India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a hot and humid warning for the state on Saturday. Yellow alert has been sounded as maximum temperatures are very likely to be around 39˚C at isolated places in Palakkad and 38˚C in Kollam. There will be a 2-3 degree rise in maximum temperatures in other districts, with 37˚C likely to be reported in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thrissur, and 36˚C in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are very likely to occur at one or two places over Kerala on Saturday. On Friday, Palakkad sizzled at 40.1˚C, 3.4 degrees above its normal. Punalur was not far behind at 39.8˚C, a steep 4.5 degrees above normal. The humidity was 78% in Punalur, with the heat index anywhere around 45-48 degrees. Kannur airport saw 38.1˚C, while Kottayam recorded 37.6˚C, Cial Kochi 37.5˚C and Vellanikkara recorded 37.1˚C.