As heavy rains continue across Kerala, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea along the state's coast. The warning comes as winds are expected to be strong over the next two days, reaching a speed of 40 to 50 kmph.
The adverse weather is attributed to an active offshore trough extending from South Gujarat to North Kerala. Troughs are elongated regions of low atmospheric pressure that run parallel to the coastline. According to IMD, the trough runs from North Interior Karnataka to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, at an altitude of around 5.8 km above mean sea level.
Strong winds gusting up to 65 kmph are expected in the west-central Arabian Sea and parts of the adjoining east-central Arabian Sea. Similar adverse conditions will continue over the South Bengal Bay and the Andaman Sea.
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services has warned of high waves measuring 2.7 to 3.5 metres on the Northern Kerala coast and asked fishermen to be alert.
However, some relief from rains is expected.
After consecutive orange alerts, the IMD has issued only yellow alerts for August 4. This includes all districts in the state except Palakkad, Thrissur, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. While there is no particular weather warning for August 5, widespread rainfall of 7 to 11 cm in a span of 24 hours is expected to continue from August 6.
Public entry into tourist destinations in risky mountain districts such as Wayanad, Idukki, and Kozhikode has been barred. The Idukki District Administration has also restricted access to waterfalls, rivers and reservoirs.
Meanwhile, Kerala has witnessed multiple incidents of landslides and mudslips, triggered by heavy rains that began late Friday night. At least 15 people have been killed, while seven are missing in rain-related incidents that occurred in Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. As many as 11,018 people are staying in relief camps across the state, according to updates shared by Chief Minister V.D Satheeshan.
