Kozhikode: Heavy rain continued to lash the districts of Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kasaragod. Many low-lying areas in the districts were inundated due to rain on Saturday.
Heavy traffic block was felt on Kozhikode-Wayanad Highway as the water entered many low-lying areas. Articles kept in four shops in Mukkam were destroyed in the floods. According to traders, this was the first time that the place got inundated and such a loss for lakhs of rupees was reported. A case of landslide was reported from Thottakkad in Karassery in the district.
Heavy rain continued to batter Wayanad district too. In Kasaragod district, a landslide occurred at Maruthom near hilly highway on Saturday evening. Slabs on the roadsides were destroyed. Traffic was hit due to the landslip. However, there was no damage to houses in the vicinity.
The Indian Meteorological Department has warned that thunderstorms and heavy rains are likely in several parts of Kerala till Tuesday.
A yellow alert has been issued for Sunday in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts.
Yellow alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasaragod on Monday and Tuesday, October 4 and 5.
On October 6, yellow alert has been issued for Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.
A yellow alert means that moderate to heavy rains can be expected ranging from 64.5mm to 115.5mm.
The IMD also alerted that lightning strikes can be expected between 2pm to 10pm till Tuesday and requested to take necessary precautions.
The deep depression in the Arabian Sea intensified into Cyclone Shaheen on Friday morning and it is further intensified into a 'severe cyclonic storm' later on the day.
The Met Department informed that the cyclonic storm is moving towards the Oman coast. Authorities in Oman urged thousands of residents in coastal areas to leave their homes and head to
emergency shelters on Saturday as the Gulf state braced for the tropical storm to intensify into a category 1 tropical cyclone.
Cyclone Shaheen was formed from the remnants of Cyclone Gulab, which had hit the east coast on September 26. Cyclone Gulab's intensity had reduced further as it traversed central India, pounding parts of Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. As its remnants entered the Arabian Sea, they intensified further into a cyclonic storm on Friday morning.
It is a rare instance that one cyclone that formed over the Bay of Bengal has traversed the breadth of the country to reach the west coast and again intensify into a cyclone.
