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Weather updates: Schools, colleges closed in Kerala; heavy rain warning for Odisha, Kolkata, Mumbai today
IMD issued a heavy rainfall alert in Odisha till July 20, while downpour is expected to continue in parts of Maharashtra till July 17.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for multiple districts of Kerala due to the heavy rainfall, with the authorities directing the closure of educational institutes on Wednesday, July 17, across the state. The district administrations of eight districts have ordered the closure of schools and colleges in their respective areas amid a red alert in Kerala.
The districts where the holiday has been declared are Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Palakkad, Thrissur, Idukki, Alappuzha, and Kottayam. This comes after heavy rainfall in these districts caused waterlogged streets, collapsed power lines and swelled rivers.
A red alert was issued for Kozhikode and Kannur, while an orange alert was issued for Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts in Kerala. The weather department has warned fishermen against going fishing on the Kerala-Karnataka-Lakshadweep coasts.
Rain alert for Odisha
Meanwhile, the IMD on Wednesday issued a rainfall alert for Odisha, saying that heavy rains will continue in the state till July 20. Local weather officials said that heavy rainfall (7 to 11 cm) is expected in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Koraput on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, heavy rain wreaked havoc in parts of Karnataka as traffic was disrupted on NH 75 after parts of the road was washed away by mudslides. Traffic was diverted from the route, as moderate to heavy rains are expected to continue in the coastal areas of the state on July 16 and 17.
In West Bengal, the MeT department has issued a heavy rainfall alert for Kolkata, Howrah, and North and South 24 Parganas this week. It is predicted that heavy to extremely heavy rainfall will lash the state on July 20, Saturday, likely to play spoilsports in Trinamool Congress' July 21 rally.
Heavy rain likely in Maharashtra
Heavy rain is expected to continue in Maharashtra as the IMD has issued a red alert for Raigad and an orange alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Satar, and Kolhapur for today, July 17.
Several parts of the state have been getting heavy rain for the last couple of days, causing floods and traffic snarls in different cities. Earlier on Sunday, the IMD stated that the monsoon has started shifting downward and that coastal Karnataka, Kerala, and Konkan Goa will receive more than 20 cm of rain in the coming days.
Light rains are likely to continue in Delhi and parts of NCR for the rest of the week, according to the MeT department.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
