KOCHI: As the well-marked low-pressure area over Lakshadweep area & adjoining southeast Arabian sea is all set to develop into a cyclonic storm along the west coast in the next 36 hours, red alert of extremely heavy rainfall for the three districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta have been sounded for Friday.
Also, an orange alert of very heavy rainfall of 11-20cm has been sounded for nine districts including Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad.
The weather department and Kerala state disaster management has asked the public to stay off coasts.
The weather will be squally with gusty wind speeds of 40 Kmph is likely in some places in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram districts in Kerala and over Lakshadweep area.
Fishermen have been warned to stay off the waters in the region.
The IMD informed that a well-marked low-pressure area over Lakshadweep Area & Adjoining southeast Arabian sea persists.
Associated cyclonic circulation extending up to mid tropospheric levels, It is very likely to concentrate into a depression over the same region during next 12 hours and intensify further into a cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours. It is very likely to intensify further and move north northwestwards towards Gujarat & adjoining Pakistan coasts.
The cyclonic storm is likely to reach near Gujarat coast around May 18 evening.
The western disturbance as a trough in mid & upper tropospheric westerlies with its axis at 5.8km above mean sea level roughly along longitude 75°E to the north of latitude 30°N persists.
The cyclonic circulation over southeast Madhya Pradesh & neighbourhood extending up to 0.9 km above mean sea level persists.
District administrations have been asked to ready relief camps and people in low-lying areas in these districts will be moved out in case of inundation.
NDRF teams are on standby and a team is already camped in Kollam and a few families were shifted out from the Kollam coastal region. Dam shutters of Bhoothathankettu have been opened to release excess waters in the wake of heavy rains.
