Five northern districts of Kerala should brace for extremely heavy rainfall today (Saturday), a 10 a.m. weather update from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicated.
Also read:Kerala rain: Five districts have been put on red alert Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod are on red alert. Seven central and southern districts - Thrissur, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kollam are on orange alert for scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall. While Kerala is not in the path of the northward moving cyclone Tauktae, the weather system is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm as it moves toward the Gujarat coast. Relief camps have been opened in several districts to accommodate families evacuated from regions by sea erosion. Given the COVID-19 situation, COVID-19 patients among the evacuees are being transferred to COVID First Line Treatment Centres and Domiciliary Care Centres. District administrations are also carrying out antigen tests in the relief camps. Nine teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in various districts to tackle contingencies. The army and air force units also are on stand-by. The Coast Guard rescued three fishermen from the sea off Kannur on Friday night. Parts of the state are likely to receive isolated heavy rainfall till May 19.
Tauktae likely to intesify
The deep depression in the Arabian Sea had intensified into the cyclonic storm Tauktae (pronounced Tau'Te) in the early hours of Saturday. The weather system is moving northwards and lies centred over the east-central and south-east Arabian Sea about 160 km north-northwest of Aminidivi and 350 km south-southwest of Panjim and 960 km south-southeast of Veraval, Gujarat, the India Meteorological Department said. Tauktae is expected to intensify into a Severe Cyclonic Storm during the next 12 hours and into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm in the subsequent 12 hours. It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and cross the Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Naliya around May 18 morning.
