Heavy rains hit parts of Kerala causing waterlogging, traffic snarls

Heavy rains lashed several districts of Kerala on Friday morning, leading to waterlogging of roads and traffic snarls in various parts of the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and gusty winds close to 50 kilometers per hour (kmph) at one or two places in Kottayam and Ernakulam districts of the state. Additionally, it also predicted moderate rainfall and gusty winds of around 40 kmph in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki, Thrissur and Palakkad districts. On Thursday, it had issued an orange alert in the districts of Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod for August 30. It had also issued a yellow alert in the remaining districts of the state except for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha. An orange alert means very heavy rain (6 cm to 20 cm). A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 and 11 cm.