Rain triggers a trail of destruction; train services halted at Alappuzha; Orange alert for seven districts on Saturday

The heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds that has been lashing parts of the State is likely to continue for a couple of more days, fuelled by the weather systems in the Bay of Bengal and the offshore trough formed along the west coast of the country. Around 129 weather stations under the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported rain during the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday.

The areas close to the Western Ghats have witnessed heavy rainfall, with Munnar in Idukki and Ambalavayal in Wayanad and Ayyankunnu in Kannur registering the highest rainfall of 9 cm each during the last 24 hours, followed by Peerumedu (8 cm) and Udumbannoor, Cheruthoni and Vellathooval in Idukki (7 cm each).

Strong winds with speeds above 20 knots are also prevailing over Kerala. The speed of the wind clocked 67 kmph in the manual weather station at Ernakulam, followed by 65 kmph in the automatic weather stations at Pathanamthitta and Thrissur and 63 kmph in Palakkad.

The train traffic to Ernakulam from Thiruvananthapuram via Alappuzha was disrupted after an uprooted tree fell on the overhead electric lines on the tracks near Mararikulam in Alappuzha by 8.30 a.m. The trains through the stretch have been detained at various stations, including the Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi. The incidents of uprooted trees damaging houses and blocking the arterial roads have been reported in the hilly areas of the State.

Meanwhile, the IMD issued an orange alert for seven districts — Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram — on Saturday, warning of very heavy rainfall during the next 24 hours, while the rest of the State was put on a yellow alert, where isolated heavy rainfall is likely.

Cyclone Wipha

The low-pressure area that formed over the Bay of Bengal under the influence of the remnants of tropical Cyclone Wipha has intensified into a well-marked low-pressure system on Saturday.

In addition, an offshore trough runs along the west coast up to the coast of Kerala, drawing moisture-laden air from the Arabian Sea. The wind that returns after hitting the Western Ghats and is unable to climb over the mountains causes the formation of offshore vortices along the coast, triggering heavy spells, especially in the Ghats regions.

However, the rain is likely to subside after a couple of days in tune with the weakening of the weather system in the Bay of Bengal.