A new low over the southwest Bay of Bengal keeps five Kerala districts under an orange alert for very heavy rain

21 October 2026

The India Meteorological Department has forecast rain and thundershowers across Kerala until 27 October 2026. A low-pressure area over the southwest Arabian Sea weakened and a new low formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Tamil Nadu coast. On 21 October an orange alert, meaning 12 cm to 20 cm of rain in 24 hours, covered Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam, while a yellow alert of 7 cm to 11 cm covered Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram. For 22 October the orange alert shifts to Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode. Squally weather with winds of 35 to 45 kmph gusting to 55 kmph is expected along and off the Kerala, Lakshadweep and Karnataka coasts until 25 October, and fishermen have been advised not to go to sea. Kozhikode recorded the highest maximum temperature at 34.6 degrees Celsius and Punalur the lowest minimum at 22.6 degrees Celsius.