A transmission tower remaining slanted after hit by heavy rains at Mundakanpadam near Nallalam in Kozhikode district.
| Photo Credit: SP

Heavy rains pummelled Kerala overnight, causing some disruption to everyday life, even as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the South West Monsoon will likely intensify on Sunday (May 25, 2025). 

The IMD has issued a red alert for five northern districts —Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Malappuram — for the next 24 hours. The rest of Kerala, including Idukki, was under orange alert. The IMD has predicted intense rainfall in the regions until Monday (May 26, 2025). The IMD will likely update its weather forecast at 10.30 a.m. 

Warning of high waves and tidal surges

The Kerala government has banned fishers from putting their boats out to sea. It has closed beaches, hills, and forest resorts to tourists until further notice. The National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has warned of high waves, tidal surges, and sea erosion. Visibility remained low across the State, considerably slowing vehicular traffic and causing congestion at urban bottlenecks.

In Wayanad, the government has established a Special Control Room at Meppadi. It has established a network of warning sirens to warn citizens to evacuate to safer ground if extreme climate triggered geological events.

In 2024, a series of catastrophic landslides triggered by extreme rainfall had levelled Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Chooralmala, and Vellarimala villages within the Meppadi panchayat in Vythiri taluk, resulting in the death of nearly 300 residents.

The rains, which lashed Kerala overnight, inundated roads and neighbourhoods, uprooted trees and caused power outages across the State. However, the government said the rain havoc had not necessitated large-scale evacuations or relief camps. 

The government minimised dam shutters across the State to ensure that water levels remained within the safety threshold. 

The dams are Lower Periyar, Sengulam, Kundala, Madupetty, Ponmudi and Anayirankal.

According to IMD, the southwest monsoon advanced to some parts of coastal Karnataka on Sunday (May 25, 2025). A powerful low-pressure system over the eastern Central Arabian Sea off the Konkan coast has intensified the monsoon over Kerala.