Kerala to receive heavy rain till Wednesday

Kochi: While forecasting the possibility of heavy rain in isolated places in Kerala till Wednesday, IMD has issued a yellow alert for southern and central districts. On Monday, the southern and central districts up to Ernakulam are on yellow alert for heavy rainfall, while yellow alert has been issued in Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha on Tuesday. There is also a chance of thunderstorms and strong winds with speeds ranging from 30 to 50 kmph in isolated areas of Kerala and Mahe over the next five days, IMD added. A cyclone has formed over the Gulf of Mannar and adjacent Sri Lanka. Due to its influence, a low-pressure area is likely to form over the southwest Bay of Bengal by May 11. A cyclone is present over the southwest Arabian Sea and the areas adjacent to Lakshadweep and the Kerala coast. In view of this, the state is expected to receive more rainfall in the coming days. Even as pre-monsoon rainfall is gaining momentum, Kerala is still deficient by 22% rain in this season so far. The state recorded 150.2mm actual rainfall against a normal of 193.3mm rainfall between March 1 and May 9. Only Kozhikode recorded excess rainfall during the period with 193.8mm rainfall against the normal of 151.9mm. While Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Wayanad received normal rainfall, the rest of the districts recorded deficient rainfall. The highest deficiency was in Kollam at 51%, followed by Palakkad at 48%. Meanwhile, Lakshadweep recorded 65% deficient rain in this season and Mahe received 52% excess rainfall.