Kerala rain update: Expect heavy rains as IMD issues orange alert in several districts

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As heavy rains continued to lash parts of Kerala, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday sounded an orange alert in various districts of the state for the next few days.

The IMD issued an orange alert in Kannur and Kasaragod districts from May 24 to May 26, in Kozhikode and Wayanad for May 25 and 26 and Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram on May 26.

Besides that, it issued a yellow alert in 12 districts of Kerala for May 23, nine districts on May 24, 10 on May 25 and 7 on May 26.

An orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.

Additionally, the IMD said thunderstorms with light to moderate rainfall and gusty wind speeds reaching 40 kmph were likely to occur at one or two places in the Kottayam and Idukki districts during the day.

Besides that, light rainfall was likely to occur at one or two places in the Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts of Kerala on Thursday, it said.