Thiruvananthapuram: Heavy rains continued to lash Kerala on Wednesday.
A yellow alert was declared in eight districts of the State including Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod, the Indian Meteorological Department informed.
The Met Department also warned that the State is likely to witness heavy rainfall and thunderstorm with lightning in isolated places till Saturday.
The strengthening of the South West winds in the Arabian Sea is the primary reason for the rainfall. The shifting of the monsoon trough to the south, the low pressure belt along the Gujarat-Maharashtra coast and the cyclonic formation in the Bay of Bengal has also intensified the precipitation.
Fishermen are prohibited from venturing into the sea till July 9. The National Centre for Ocean Research has warned that Kerala coast is likely to witness high waves in the range of 3.5 to 4.1 metres and sea incursion during this period.
