Fire and Rescue Services personnel evacuate families affected by flooding near Thavakkara in Kannur, Kerala following heavy rains on May 30, 2025
| Photo Credit: SK Mohan
With heavy rainfall continuing to batter Kerala districts, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday (May 30, 2025) upgraded the rainfall alert level for the State by putting eight districts on red alert for extremely heavy rainfall (above 20 cm in a 24-hour period).
Rains live updates – May 30, 2025
The alert level was scaled up in the 1 p.m. weather update by the IMD’s Meteorological Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Kannur and Kasaragod are on red alert. All the remaining six districts are on orange alert for isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall.
Heavy rains lash Kerala
| Video Credit:
The Hindu
Only three districts, Kannur, Kasaragod and Idukki were on red alert earlier on Friday morning.
The Lakshadweep Islands remain on yellow alert on Friday for isolated heavy rainfall.
Rain may taper off over weekend
As of now, indications are that rainfall is likely to taper off in most districts after Saturday (May 31). Only isolated heavy rainfall is expected in all 14 districts on Saturday. Some of the northern districts also likely to receive isolated heavy rainfall till at least June 3, according to the latest update.
In the past one week, the Kerala and Mahe region have received rainfall in ‘large excess,’ the IMD has said. According to an extended range forecast issued by the IMD for the coming two weeks, the region received 287.1 mm against 52.1 which is normal for the one-week period, a departure of 451%.
The southwest monsoon had set in over Kerala on May 24 against the normal date of June 1. In IMD parlance ‘large excess’ is rainfall in excess of 60% of the normal for a given period. “All districts in Kerala received large excess rainfall. Lakshadweep and Mahe also received large excess rainfall,” the IMD said.
Meanwhile, the deep depression over West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts is likely to weaken gradually into a depression during the next 12 hours and into a well-marked low pressure area during the subsequent 24 hours.
Published – May 30, 2025 03:47 pm IST
