Cyclone Ockhi Moving Away From Kerala Coast, Heavy Rains Lashtrivandrum, Kanyakumari

The southern districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu received heavy rainfall as Cyclone Ockhi, which originated near the Sri Lankan coast, rattled through the Arabian Sea towards Lakshwadeep islands.

“It is currently 100 kilometres away from Thiruvananthapuram and moving in the south-west direction. The cyclone is getting stronger but it is moving away from the Kerala coast,” said Sudevan, IMD Director, adding that it will pass through the sea between Kerala and the Lakshwadeep islands.

The IMD director said they had issued warnings about the cyclone on Wdnesday itself and alerted the fishermen. “We had issued warnings yesterday itself. We have told fishermen not to go out to sea,” he said.

There were widespread damage to property in Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, Lakshwadeep islands, Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts as many trees got uprooted and power lines crashed to the ground. Schools have been ordered to shut down in the state capital.

Central Kerala districts like Ernakulam and Kottayam are likely to see thundershowers. Pilgrims travelling to the Sabarimala shrine, which opened doors earlier this month, are likely to be affected.

Road traffic, especially on the national highway between Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, are likely to face disruptions, while a number of passenger trains between Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram have been cancelled.

Long-distance express trains like Kanyakumari-Mumbai CST Express and the Kanyakumari-Bengaluru Island Express have been rescheduled. These trains, scheduled to depart from Kanyakumari in the early morning hours, will now depart in the afternoon.

Courtesy : indianexpress