Even as rescue and relief operations are underway on a war footing in rain-battered Kerala, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more rains for the state for the next 48 hours.
The weather bulletin at 8am on Friday states that heavy to very heavy rainfall is in store in isolated places for the districts of Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur, while Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam will experience heavy rainfall.
The Met Department has also forecast heavy rain to be occasionally accompanied by winds touching 60 kmph in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam districts.
However, there could be some relief on Saturday. Barring a red alert (Warning – Take Action) for Ernakulam and Idukki districts, which will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Saturday, IMD has issued an orange warning for Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Kannur. An orange warning (Alert – be prepared) has also been issued for Kasargod, which will also receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated places.
While the Met Department predicts heavy rainfall at isolated places in Kasargod, and Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram will see light to moderate rain.
Meanwhile, weather blogger Srikanth, who handles Chennai Rains, told TNM that there will be heavy rains along the Western Ghats for the next 24 hours. “Too much moisture has been pushed into the Western Ghats. Not all of this has come down as rains and some of this moisture is trapped in valleys. The rains, however, will not be widespread like the last few days. One or two places can get 20 to 30 cm of rainfall, not the entire district,” said Srikanth.
He also said there would be a reduction in rains along the coastal areas of Kerala. The weather blogger further observed that the depression in central India, which was around Chhattisgarh and Odisha, has now turned into a well-marked low at Gujarat. “This is a good sign because rains will reduce.”
However, Srikanth warned that the forecast for the next few days depends on another low pressure trough that has developed over Vietnam and which could move into Bay of Bengal around Saturday. “This is a thin line for Kerala of going through a break in heavy rains or experiencing another spell of rains,” he said.
According to IMD, Peermade in Idukki continued to receive the highest rainfall in the state, with 349mm on Thursday. Ponnani in Malappuram saw 272.4mm of rainfall, Vadakara in Kozhikode received 259.2mm, Vellanikkara in Thrissur recorded 253.6mm, while Mannarkkad witnessed 240.4mm on Thursday.