IMD sounds orange alert for heavy rainfall in four Kerala districts, schools shut in Chennai 

Several parts of Kerala are expected to receive heavy rainfall on December 12 with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an orange alert in four districts of the state for the day. 

The IMD sounded the orange alert in Kollam, Ernakulam, Idukki and Thrissur districts. The weather department also issued a yellow alert in eight districts of the state for the day. 

An orange alert means very heavy rain (6 cm to 20 cm). A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 and 11 cm. 

The IMD further said that there was a possibility of light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms in some parts of the state in the next five days. Besides that, there was a possibility of very heavy rainfall in some parts of the state today, it said. 

According to the prediction from the Regional Meteorological Centre, Kerala, an orange alert is very likely to occur at one or two places in the districts of Ernakulam, Idukki & Thrissur district on December 12. Heavy rains are likely in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts today while in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram & Kasaragode districts on December 13. 

Schools closed in Tamil Nadu 

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has ordered the closure of schools in several cities, including Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur for today following a heavy rainfall warning from the IMD for the next 24 hours.   

The Chennai Meteorological Department has issued a warning that Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will receive heavy rains due to the formation of a new low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal.  

Owing to the heavy rainfall, schools have been closed in 11 cities — Chennai, Villupuram, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Cuddalore, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Thiruvarur, Ranipet and Tiruvallur. 

The IMD has issued orange and yellow alerts for several districts in Tamil Nadu, signalling moderate to heavy rainfall in the region. The weather agency has forecasted that the rains will continue until December 16. An orange alert has been issued for parts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe, while a yellow alert has been issued for coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Rayalaseema and south interior Karnataka due to the ongoing rain predictions.  

Rainfall alert for December 

The IMD had predicted above-normal rainfall in most parts of peninsular India, west-central India, and some areas of east-central and northeast India. Meanwhile, normal to below-normal rainfall is predicted over much of north and northwest India, as well as several regions of east and northeast India.