Kerala Rains

IMD warns of heavy rain in landslide-hit Wayanad, issues orange alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued an 'orange' alert, warning of heavy rainfall in parts of Kerala's ecologically-fragile Wayanad district, where landslides triggered by heavy rain killed over 230 people on July 30. The weather department predicted heavy rainfall (7 cm to 11 cm in 24 hours) to very heavy rainfall (12 cm to 20 cm in 24 hours) in one or two places in Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kannur on Wednesday, and in Kozhikode and Wayanad on Thursday. A 'red' alert was issued for Lakshadweep, warning of extremely heavy rainfall (more than 20 cm in 24 hours) at isolated places on Wednesday. A global team of scientists said on Wednesday that the deadly landslides in Wayanad were triggered by an intense burst of rainfall, made 10 per cent heavier by climate change. The team, consisting of 24 researchers from India, Sweden, the US, and the UK, said that over 140 mm of rainfall fell in a single day on soils already saturated by two months of monsoon ...

Kerala landslides: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka visit Wayanad

Congress leader and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the landslide-affected area of Chooralmala here and a hospital and community health centre in Meppadi on Thursday afternoon. After visiting the spot, Gandhi in a Facebook post said witnessing the scenes of disaster and tragedy deeply pained his heart. "In these difficult times, Priyanka and I stand with the people of Wayanad. We are closely monitoring the relief, rescue, and rehabilitation efforts, ensuring that all necessary assistance is provided. The UDF is committed to extending all possible support. "The repeated incidents of landslides and natural calamities are extremely concerning. A comprehensive action plan is urgently needed," he said in his post. After reaching Chooralmala, Gandhi and his sister -- donning translucent blue raincoats -- crossed the temporary wooden walkway built there, witnessed the construction of the Bailey bridge and walked around the area braving the rain

Wayanad landslides: Death toll hits 173, Army intensifies search ops

Military personnel on Wednesday intensified search and rescue operations in Kerala's Wayanad district where landslides have claimed more than 160 lives, with the Army saying that it recovered over 80 bodies and rescued nearly 1,000 people. Extremely heavy rain triggered the landslides in the hilly areas of Wayanad early on Tuesday, leaving at least 167 people dead and more than 200 injured. Another 191 people were missing. The Army has set up a Command and Control Centre headed by Maj Gen VT Mathew, General Officer Commanding, Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, along with Brig Arjun Segan at Kozhikode for coordinating Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts, a senior official said. Brig Segan carried out a reconnaissance of the affected areas in the early hours of Wednesday and guided the Army columns for further conduct of the rescue operation. The troops are conducting rescue operations along a six-kilometre stretch of landslide-affected areas. The troops forming

Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi leave for landslide-hit Wayanad in Kerala

167 people have been declared dead in the aftermath of the landslides as per the Kerala Revenue Department

Kerala landslides: CM Pinarayi Vijayan to chair all-party meet in Wayanad

An all-party meeting, chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, will be held in the hill district on Thursday as search and rescue operations by various agencies and armed forces continue in the landslides-hit areas here. State ministers camping in the district, MLAs from Wayanad and political party leaders will participate in the meeting, the district administration said. Besides the all-party meet, Congress leader and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are expected to visit the relief camps set up in the landslides-hit areas of the district, according to a statement issued by the party. According to the updates of the death toll on Wednesday night, 167 people have died and 191 are missing in the landslides with over 200 injured. Of the dead, 100 have been identified, the district administration said. The rescue operations continued on the third day with teams of the army, navy and coast guard carrying out a detailed search at three locati

Kerala rains: Schools shut in 10 districts of state due to heavy downpour

The IMD has announced that Kerala is likely to experience severe rainfall over the next five days. Except for Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad, a yellow alert was given in all districts

Monsoon rains: IMD predicts heavy rains, gusty winds across Kerala today

With Southwest Monsoon continuing to dump rains in Kerala, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday predicted heavy downpour and gusty winds in various places across the state on Saturday. According the latest IMD update, thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rainfall and gusty wind speed reaching upto 40 kmph is expected at one or two places in Thiruvananthapuram district. Thunderstorm with moderate rainfall and gusty wind speed reaching 40 kmph is likely to occur at one or two places in Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur districts, it said. The weather department also predicted light rainfall at one or two places in all other districts of the southern state. Meanwhile, the shutters of Aruvikkara Dam in Thiruvananthapuram were raised by 25 CM on Saturday morning, district authorities said. The shutters may be further raised in the coming hours and those living in the area should exercise caution, they added.

Kerala receives moderate rainfall; IMD sounds orange alert in 5 districts

Various districts in Kerala received moderate rains on Wednesday, even as the weather office forecast very heavy rainfall in five districts of the state in the coming hours. As per the latest update of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam were placed under an orange alert, predicting "very heavy rains" in these districts today. The red alert issued in Ernakulam and Kottayam districts on Tuesday was withdrawn. At the same time, Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, and Thrissur districts were placed under yellow alert, the IMD added. Moderate rainfall is expected at one or two places in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts, and light rainfall is likely to occur at one or two places in Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts in the coming hours, it said. Meanwhile, incidents of trees being uprooted and houses damaged were reported in various parts of the .

Arriving early: Monsoon sets in over Kerala and Northeast, says IMD

Meteorologists meanwhile said that the rains after arriving over Kerala will quickly cover neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka but then might slacken a bit

Southwest monsoon arrives in Kerala, says IMD: Here is what it means

The Southwest Monsoon has arrived in Kerala and advanced into much of Northeast India, the IMD announced on Thursday

Widespread rains cause damage to property in Kerala; heavy downpour likely

The ongoing spell of heavy rains in Kerala has affected normal life, with scores of houses suffering damage, roads being submerged, trees uprooted, flood water entering houses and trains running late as a result of the steady downpour that continued to lash the state on Saturday. Flood water entered houses, schools and shops located in low-lying areas of Kuttanad in coastal Alapuzha district. Potholes appeared on roads, posing a threat to vehicle users in many places there. Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department today forecast heavy rainfall at one or two places in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, and Kottayam districts. At Kaikulangara in Kollam district, a family of four had a narrow escape as the tiled roof of their house collapsed due to heavy showers. Residents of the house escaped with minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital, police said. Another house in Kannettumukku here was completely damaged following downpour in the small hour

Roadside trees not to be cut in favour of commerce: Kerala HC to govt

The Kerala High Court has directed the state government to ensure no trees on roadsides are felled merely because they obstruct commercial activities. The High Court said that trees can be cut and removed only if they are in damaged condition and as a result pose a danger to public safety. A decision regarding that should be taken by a committee constituted in accordance with a 2010 government order regulating the felling and disposal of trees growing on government lands, Justice P V Kunhikrishnan said. "Without such a decision, no trees on the roadside of the State shall be cut and removed by any authorities. The Chief Secretary of the State shall issue necessary orders to that effect. "...the State of Kerala should see that no request to cut and remove trees on the roadsides of the State can be permitted without sufficient reasons. Trees give cool shades, pure oxygen and shelter to birds and animals," the court said in its order of May 22. The court's ruling came while dismissin

Heavy rainfall lashes Kerala, IMD issues Orange alert for three districts

Heavy rains continue to lash Kerala with parts of the state receiving over 200 mm of rain in the last 24 hours and places in major cities including Kochi and Thrissur remaining waterlogged on Friday. As the southern state reels under the impact of heavy pre-monsoon rains, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) today issued an Orange alert for three districts. An Orange alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki districts. A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert denotes very heavy rainfall of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm. State Revenue Minister K Rajan, who met the media today said parts of the state received over 20 cm of rain in the last 24 hours. Kunnamangalam in Kozhikode district received 226.2 mm of rain in the last 24 hours, he added. He said while Cherthala in Alappuzha district received 215 mm rain, Kumarakom in Kottayam district and Thamara

Heavy rains prompt warnings, travel bans in many Kerala districts

As rains lashed many parts of Kerala, authorities on Sunday urged people, particularly those living in hilly and coastal areas, to exercise vigil. The Meteorological Department has issued red alerts for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, and Idukki districts for Sunday and Monday, and sounded orange alerts for four other districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, and Ernakulam, for these days. The Met office predicted thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40 km/h at one or two places in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kannur and Kasaragod districts of Kerala till 1 pm on Sunday. The Idukki District Collector has ordered a ban on night travel through the hilly areas of the district from Sunday until the red and orange alerts are withdrawn. "Strict instructions have been issued to the District Superintendent of Police, Sub Divisional Magistrates, Regional Transport Officers, and Tehsildars t

Kerala to receive heavy rainfall; IMD issues red alert for May 19, 20

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday predicted extremely heavy rainfall in Kerala in the coming days and issued a red alert in some districts of the state for May 19 and 20. The IMD issued the red alert in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki districts of the state for May 19 and 20. Additionally, an orange alert was issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, and Ernakulam for those two days. The weather department further issued an orange alert in nine districts for May 21 and said some of them were likely to receive rains similar to that of a red alert. It also predicted that thunderstorms with lightning, accompanied by gusty winds, were very likely to occur at one or two places in Kerala between May 19 and 22. For Saturday, it issued an orange alert in Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Malappuram districts. A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain (6 cm to 20 cm). A yellow alert .

Monsoon to hit Kerala coast on June 1, says private forecaster Skymet

The onset of monsoon over Kerala marks the start of its four-month journey across the mainland, which culminates with the rains withdrawing from the far west corner of Rajasthan

Monsoon to arrive on May 31; to boost crop output, ease farmers' woes

The monsoon, the lifeblood of the country's $3.5 trillion economy, delivers nearly 70 per cent of the rain that India needs to water farms

Millet prices double on increased consumption; bad weather hits production

The Jowar growing region of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana have suffered droughts, whereas the brown top crop areas in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala have received excess rainfall

Heavy rain triggers landslides in Tamil Nadu, schools shut in 5 districts

Schools in five districts - Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Madurai, Theni, Dindigul - of Tamil Nadu have been declared closed due to heavy rains

Despite recent heavy rains Kerala still deficient in monsoon rainfall: IMD

Despite heavy rains lashing several parts of Kerala in the last few days, the state is still deficient in monsoon rainfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said. Kerala received 34 per cent deficient rainfall during the south-west monsoon this year while the country as a whole got six per cent deficit rains. As the south-west monsoon is now in the withdrawal phase, the rains are expected to reduce from Wednesday, October 4, onwards, IMD sources said. The heavy rains which lashed many parts of Kerala on Tuesday were due to the low pressure system over Jharkhand, they said and added that the withdrawal of the monsoon was complete in three to four states of north-west India. "The conditions are favourable for the withdrawal of the south-west monsoons. The rains will reduce from tomorrow," K Santhosh, director of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Trivandrum told PTI. He said Lakshadweep received a 15 per cent deficit rainfall but that is considered normal. "Upto 19 pe