Amid continuing thunderstorms, yellow alert issued for five Keralam districts on October 8

Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are active across Keralam ahead of the onset of the northeast monsoon. Large parts of the State, particularly the Ghat regions that form the principal rain-catchment area during the northeast monsoon, have been witnessing spells of heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds.

During the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday (October 7, 2026), Ranni in Pathanamthitta recorded the highest rainfall of 9 cm, followed by Thadiyoor in Pathanamthitta with 7 cm, Chittur in Palakkad, Laha in Pathanamthitta and Nooranad in Alapuzha with 6 cm each. According to a weather bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday, a trough from the Gulf of Mannar to Madhya Maharashtra now runs from the Gulf of Mannar to North Interior Karnataka across Tamil Nadu and south Interior Karnataka at 0.9 km above mean sea level.

Though the trade wind associated with the southwest monsoon has been weakened, the weather system over the Bay of Bengal has been triggering rainfall across the State by drawing moisture from both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The increased moisture is supporting cloud formation and fuelling rain and thunderstorms across the State. A yellow alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Malappuram districts on Thursday, warning of isolated heavy rains.