Rain batters capital, traffic disrupted

Heavy rain lashed may parts of the State on Friday and Saturday, leaving low-lying areas in cities heavily waterlogged and causing major traffic disruptions. Movement of trains was also disrupted. Some of the incoming trains to the Central Station in Thiruvananthapuram were delayed as traffic was affected by caving in of earth on the tracks between Nemom and Thiruvananthapuram. The traffic was later restored by the Railways by afternoon, Railway sources said.

City traffic was also severely disrupted with rains battering the capital regions and adjoining areas including East Fort bus stand, Pazhavangadi road, and Thampanoor, disrupting vehicular traffic and bringing low-lying areas in the city and its outskirts under water for a while. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) which issued a yellow alert for the capital on Saturday upgraded the alert to orange in the evening warning of more intense spell.

The current spell of rainfall, which caught the people in the capital unawares, was caused by the combined influence of multiple systems that persist in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, including a trough that runs from the cyclonic circulation over eastcentral Bay of Bengal to Lakshadweep area across westcentral Bay of Bengal, southwest Bay of Bengal and Comorin area at 5.8 km above mean sea level.

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of southwest and southeast Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep Islands, Comorin area, southwest, southeast, westcentral and eastcentral Bay of Bengal, and some parts of northeast Bay of Bengal on Satuday, according to a weather bulletin issued by the IMD on Saturday. Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon during the next 4-5 days, said the bulletin.

Meanwhile, Urumi in Kozhikode recorded highest rainfall of 11 cm during the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday followed by Ernakulam South with 10 cm, Kochi, Mattanchery and Palluruthy in Ernakulam with 9 cm each, and Cherthala in Alappuzha (8 cm). Thiruvananthapuram city also witnessed around 6 cm rain during the day.