Keralam on high alert as rain intensifies; IMD sounds orange alert for four districts on October 22

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.

Your active subscription(s)

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Products you've access to

Additional Subscription Benefits

Need help with your subscription?

Published - October 22, 2026 10:15 am IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

file image | Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

Heavy thunderstorms continued to lash several parts of Keralam on Thursday under the influence of a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for four districts, warning of intense thunderstorms, while the remaining districts were placed under a yellow alert for heavy rain over the next 24 hours.

The eastern ghat regions, southern Keralam and parts of Central Travancore received heavy overnight rain on Wednesday, disrupting normal life and causing waterlogging in several areas. Disaster management authorities have been placed on high alert in view of the forecast for continued heavy rain.

Further, minor landslips triggered by the heavy rain along the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil railway section near Parassala railway station in Keralam also disrupted train services. Several trains were detained or rescheduled, with services expected to resume along the affected route by 10 a.m.

According to the IMD, the low-pressure area and its associated cyclonic circulation over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Tamil Nadu coast are feeding moisture into Keralam, resulting in heavy to very heavy thunderstorms, particularly over the ghat regions and the southern and central parts of the State.

Another low-pressure area is likely to develop over the southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal around October 23. As the system moves northwestwards and intensifies, it could enhance the moisture flow towards peninsular India, leading to a gradual increase in rainfall over Keralam from October 23 to 25. The State is likely to receive fairly widespread rainfall during this period, with thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds in several areas.

Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode are under an orange alert for Thursday, with the possibility of intense thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds over the next 24 hours.

Published - October 22, 2026 10:15 am IST

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.