Thiruvananthapuram: Heavy rainfall accompanied by thunder, lightning and wind is likely to lash isolated places across Kerala from Saturday to Wednesday. As per the alert issued by the India Meteorological Department, heavy rains are expected in various states in the south, west and northwest parts of India due to a cyclonic circulation over southeast Bay of Bengal.
In Kerala, the IMD sounded yellow alert in Wayanad, Kannur, Ernakulam, Idukki and Kozhikode on different dates in view of rainfall that may range from 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm.
Yellow alert in districts from May 6 to 10:
May 6 : Wayanad, Kannur
May 8: Ernakulam, Wayanad
May 9: Ernakulam, Idukki
May 10: Kozhikode, Wayanad
Summer showers have been battering the state bringing relief from the scorching temperature for the last few weeks.
Cyclone Mocha
At the same time, the IMD has alerted that the cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal is likely to form a low-pressure area over the same region by May 8. It is likely to intensify into a deep depression and a cyclonic storm by May 9.
The IMD further said that the model is indicating north-northwestwards movement till May 10 and northeastwards re-curvature thereafter towards southeast Bangladesh and adjoining Myanmar coasts.
The cyclone will be named Mocha (Mokha), a name suggested by Yemen after the Red Sea port city, which is known to have introduced coffee to the world over 500 years ago.
The weather office has warned fishermen of squally weather in southeast Bay of Bengal with windspeeds reaching 40-50 kmph from Sunday onwards.
"Those who are over southeast Bay of Bengal are advised to return to safer places before May 7 and those over central Bay of Bengal are advised to return before May 9," the weather office said.
The Met department suggested regulation of tourism, offshore activities and shipping near Andaman and Nicobar Islands between May 8 and 12
All cyclone-prone districts are kept in a state of readiness. District administrations along with the NDRF, ODRAF, and others are at the ready as well for any possible eventuality.
On May 8 last year, cyclonic storm Asani' had developed in the Bay of Bengal but later fizzled out and crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast as a depression. The severe cyclonic storm Yaas' made landfall in Odisha's Balasore district on the morning of May 26, 2021, while Cyclone Amphan made landfall between the Sagar islands of West Bengal and the Hatiya islands of Bangladesh on the evening of May 20, 2020.
The last storm in the Bay of Bengal was Fani in April, which made landfall over the Odisha coast near Puri as an extremely severe cyclonic storm on May 3, 2019.
(With PTI inputs)
