Kottayam: In view of continuing rainfall and the India Meteorological Department's warning of heavy rain and strong winds, all educational institutions in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts will remain closed on Saturday.

The holiday covers professional colleges, anganwadis, vacation art and sports training centres, and religious study institutions. However, exams scheduled earlier will be conducted as planned and are not affected by the holiday announcement.

Heavy rains are likely to continue for five days till July 29, a release from the IMD and Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said on Friday. The IMD has issued an ornage alert in 7 districts on Saturday- Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram.

In Kottayam, strong winds that hit the district after noon caused trees to fall, blocking several key roads. Traffic was disrupted on the Kumarakom–Cherthala road near the boat jetty bridge, and on the Ettumanoor–Ernakulam route at Kaankariyam due to fallen trees. A similar situation was reported on the national highway at Edachira, where traffic towards Kanjirappally was blocked. The Erumeli–Ranni forest stretch also saw roadblocks due to uprooted trees