New Delhi: Tamil Nadu witnessed heavy rainfall across several districts, with Azhiyar in Coimbatore registering the highest precipitation of 15 cm within the last 24 hours. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) reported significant rainfall in other areas as well.
Thirumoorthi Dam and Amaravathy Dam, both located in Tiruppur district, received 14 cm and 12 cm of rainfall, respectively, during the same period ending at 8:30 am on Wednesday. Sharp showers were observed in various places across districts such as Kanniyakumari, Coimbatore, and Sivaganga, reported PTI.
The weather office has predict heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas across districts including Theni, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, and Virudhunagar on Thursday.
ALSO READ|Kerala: IMD Issues Red Alert For Idukki, Pathanamthitta Districts Amid Heavy Rains
Additionally, there is a likelihood of heavy rain occurring at isolated locations in districts such as Madurai, Dindigul, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Thoothukudi, it added.
RMC issued a warning for fishermen on May 23, cautioning about adverse weather conditions. In the Southeast and Eastcentral Bay of Bengal, squally weather is expected with wind speeds reaching 50 kmph to 60 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph.
Along and off the Kerala coast, as well as over the Comorin Area, Gulf of Mannar, and adjoining south Tamil Nadu coast, and the south and adjoining central Bay of Bengal, squally weather with wind speeds of 45 kmph to 55 kmph, gusting up to 65 kmph, is anticipated.
Fishermen are strongly advised against venturing into these sea areas to ensure their safety.
IMD Sounds Red Alert In Five Districts Of Kerala
With heavy rains continuing to lash several parts of Kerala, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday placed five districts of the state on red alert, predicting extremely heavy rainfall in those regions.
According to the weather agency, the red alert was issued for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Idukki. Though Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam were earlier placed under an orange alert, the IMD later upgraded the warning to a red alert, predicting extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places there.
Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Wayanad continue to be on orange alert, while Kannur and Kasaragod remain on yellow alert, the IMD said, as per PTI.
Authorities have issued warnings of high waves ranging from 0.4 to 3.3 meters and potential sea incursions along the coast of Kerala, stretching from Vizhinjam in the south to Kasaragod in the north, until Thursday night.
Additionally, they have categorised rainfall alerts into color codes-a red alert signifies heavy to extremely heavy rainfall exceeding 20 cm within 24 hours, an orange alert indicates very heavy rainfall ranging from 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert denotes heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.
Amidst the continuous heavy rains, Health Minister Veena George announced the establishment of a state control room at the Health Department Directorate. This initiative aims to bolster epidemic prevention efforts in response to the challenging conditions.
"The Health Department has formed a state-level rapid response team dedicated to epidemic prevention. The control room's primary purpose is to streamline coordination among various health department activities and address inquiries from both healthcare workers and the general public", the minister added.