Heavy rains to lash Kerala, Karnataka; red alert in Kannur, Kasaragod today

Thiruvananthpuram, July 23: The Southwest Monsoon, which has gathered steam yet again, will continue to pound north and central Kerala for the next couple of days, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

Meanwhile, the death toll in connection with monsoon-related calamities has gone upto 21, with five more deaths reported on Monday.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued a Red alert in Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur for Monday and Kannur and Kasaragod for Tuesday, ie: July 23.

Educational institutions in Kannur, Kasargod and parts of Kottayam due to heavy rainfall in the state have declared a holiday.

As per Skymet report, "The state of Kerala is being lashed by heavy to very heavy rains for the last three days- July 19 onward. As of now, the activity is more in the northern and the central parts of the state compared to the southern region. Idukki, Kasargod, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kozhikode are already on red alert due to torrential rains."

IMD also said that rough to very rough sea conditions are expected to prevail along and off Goa-Karnataka-Kerala and south Tamil Nadu coasts and Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into these areas for the next few days.

Westerly winds from the Arabian Sea and a cyclonic circulation over Pakistan will gradually affect the respective areas. Dense fog is likely over several high elevation areas of North and Northeast India in the morning and evening.

The maximum temperatures over Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Telangana are likely to be lowered from Wednesday because of rain. Also, maximum temperature 40°C or more are very likely over western Rajasthan. The air quality is likely to be very poor over NCR and in Delhi.