KOCHI: With southwest monsoon having withdrawn from the entire country, northeast monsoon set in over the state and other southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka on Wednesday. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted isolated spells of heavy rain across the state till October 19.
According to IMD, thunderstorms and winds reaching up to 40kmph, accompanied by moderate rainfall, is very likely to occur in one or two places across Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod districts over the next three days.
In view of this, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has issued a warning that chances of lightning strikes are high between 2pm and 10pm.
According to meteorologists, the northeast monsoon, which will be active for the next two months, is expected to be normal in Kerala this year. The southwest monsoon, which entered the state on June 8 brought bountiful rainfall, with the state recording 13 per cent excess till September 30. However, the state saw a 19 per cent deficit over the first two weeks of October. While normal rainfall was estimated at 155.4 mm during the period, the state received only 126.6 mm.
Dams in the state have received steady inflow during August and September. KSEB expects the reservoirs to be full by the time northeast monsoon withdraws.