Heavy overnight rain and strong winds continued to batter Kerala on Sunday, leading to widespread destruction across the state. Almost all districts in Kerala experienced heavy rain through the night and into the morning.

The heavy rain uprooted trees, damaged houses, and caused rivers to overflow, prompting authorities to open several dam shutters to release excess water, according to news agency PTI. Low-lying areas were heavily waterlogged, leading to traffic disruptions in several parts of the region.

In Wayanad’s Chooralmala, already affected by past landslides, continuous heavy rain raised fresh concerns. The water level in the Punnapuzha River had risen sharply due to the ongoing downpour, PTI quoted a local as saying.

“We are yet to recover from the shock of last year’s landslide. We have not slept properly at night, as we were scared of seeing heavy rains. We feared something worse,” an elderly resident told a TV channel.

In Pathanamthitta, a family had a narrow escape when strong winds brought down large trees onto their tiled-roof house near Ezhamkulam.”My daughter had a narrow escape as she just came out of the house when the trees fell upon the house,” a family member, pointing at their damaged roof, reported PTI.

In Idukki district, five shutters of the Malankara dam were opened on Sunday morning to release extra water. Authorities urged people living near the Thodupuzha and Moovattupuzha rivers to stay alert.

Strong winds also caused damage in Kozhikode and Kasaragod, where several trees were reported uprooted. In Kollam city, a major accident was avoided when a large roadside hoarding collapsed, according to locals.

A house and several vehicles were damaged in Ernakulam when trees fell in Kunnathunad and Munambam Harbour areas.

IMD issues red alert for parts of Kerala

The weather department has issued a red alert for Kannur, and Kasaragod — for May 25, warning of extremely heavy rainfall.

An orange alert, indicating the possibility of heavy rain, remains in place for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Palakkad, Wayanad on the same day.

For May 26, the red alert has been extended to more districts: Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod. An orange alert will remain in effect for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Alappuzha.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has also issued a warning for high waves (3.1 to 4.2 metres) and rough seas along Kerala’s coast until Monday night.

The IMD on Saturday confirmed that the monsoon has arrived early in Kerala—eight days ahead of schedule. This is the earliest onset in 16 years.