Kerala Rain: Yellow Alert in Six Districts Amid Intensified Monsoon
The southwest monsoon has intensified in Kerala, bringing heavy rain to various parts of the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for six districts on Tuesday: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod. A yellow alert signifies heavy rainfall between 64.5 to 115.5 mm within 24 hours. The IMD also forecasts heavy rain and thundershowers across most parts of Kerala until July 5. Additionally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Centre has warned of the ‘Kallakadal’ phenomenon along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu coast until 11:30 pm on Wednesday. Due to the adverse weather and rough seas, fishermen are advised to avoid venturing into the sea off the Kerala-Karnataka-Lakshadweep coasts until July 2.
India experienced below-normal rainfall in June, with an 11 percent deficit, the highest in five years, according to the IMD on Monday. The country received 147.2 mm of rainfall against a normal of 165.3 mm for the month, the seventh lowest since 2001. June typically accounts for 15 percent of the total 87 cm of rainfall during India’s four-month monsoon season. After an early onset over Kerala and the northeastern region on May 30 and progressing normally to Maharashtra, the monsoon lost momentum, delaying rains in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, and exacerbating a heatwave in northwest India.
The IMD reported that northwest India had a 33 percent rainfall deficit, central India a 14 percent deficit, and east and northeast India a 13 percent deficit. Only south India experienced surplus rainfall (14 percent) in June.
