THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The residents of the state, who were experiencing hot weather for the past couple of weeks, were relatively a relieved lot on Friday with the temperature falling below the 40-plus mark. Palakkad and Punalur which have been witnessing the highest maximum day temperature for the last few days witnessed 38.9 degrees Celsius and 38.2 degrees Celsius, respectively, on Friday.
However, there was no letup in the heat-related incidents as the state witnessed as many as 60 sunburn cases, 59 heat rash cases and three sunstroke cases in the day alone. The humidity in coastal districts was high with Kozhikode registering the highest of 73 per cent.
The Meteorological Department predicts the maximum day temperature is very likely to be above normal by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts on Saturday and Sunday. The weathermen also forecast the districts like Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kollam, Alappuzha, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kottayam and Idukki are very likely to get summer showers till Tuesday.