A view of a waterlogged house at Mundiyeruma near Nedumkandam, in Idukki, on October 18, 2025. Photo: Special Arrangement
Kerala is bracing for potential flooding and strong winds on Sunday (October 19, 2025) as the Northeast Monsoon appears poised to further intensify over the State in the next 24 hours.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rains in North Kerala. It has put Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod under an orange alert.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Wayanad districts. It has also forecast choppy littoral waters and cautioned fishers from putting their boats out to sea.
Idukki worst hit
Kerala’s rugged Idukki district bore the worst brunt of the monsoon on Saturday (October 18, 2025), washing out roads, knocking out power lines, choking traffic, bringing down mobile phone networks, disrupting internet connectivity and causing minor mudslides.
The inclement weather also claimed its first casualty in Idukki on Saturday (October 18, 2025). A 66-year-old man was killed when his two-wheeler was caught under falling mud on the Kumily-Anavilasom-Kattappana High near Vellaramkunnu at around 11.45 p.m. The district police identified the deceased as Parappallil Thomas alias Thankachan.
The councillor of the Vellaramkunnu panchayat ward, Robin Karakkattu, told The Hindu in Idukki that the accident occurred when Thankachan was returning home after closing his hotel at Anavilasom.
The rains wreaked havoc in the Kumily panchayat. Overnight rains caused sweeping power outages, and gushing stormwater turned roads into rivers, washing away vehicles and inundating residential and commercial localities in Onnam Mile, Atta Palam, Kumily town, Periyar Colony, Chelimala, Valiyakandan and Anavachal.
A resident, Jaison Thekkady, told The Hindu that the surging stormwater surprised scores of residents, forcing them to move to upper floors or houses of relatives in higher ground after shifting household items to shelves and parapets above the flood’s reach.
Mullaperiyar Dam
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has cautioned Kerala that it would discharge water from the Mullaperiyar Reservoir into the Periyar River at 9 a.m. on Sunday (October 19, 2025), given the heavy precipitation over the dam’s catchment area and urgency to keep the reservoir levels under the safety threshold.
On Saturday (October 18, 2025), the dam authorities had opened the reservoir’s 13 spillway shutters, releasing an estimated 9,403 cusecs of water into the Periyar River. The Kerala Government has warned residents living downstream of the Mullaperiyar dam to exercise extreme caution.
Shaji Kurishumood, a resident of Vallakadavu abutting the banks of the Periyar River in Idukki, said the release of Mullaperiyar dam water had inundated at least five homes in the locality.
Traffic disruption
Meanwhile, heavy rains disrupted traffic along the Gudalloor-Kozhikode road passing through Manimoola in the Malappuram district. The heavy spell caused the water levels to rise significantly in the Karakodam, Kalakkad and Athithode Rivers in the district.
Overnight rains caused minimal flooding in Kochi, inconveniencing early morning commuters, including two-wheeler riders.
Published – October 19, 2025 11:52 am IST
