After brief respite following rain, mercury soars again

After an unexpected bout of summer rain on Friday brought down the temperature by about 2°C to 4°C in parts of the State, the mercury has started to rise again in the State.

Palakkad, which has been witnessing seasonhigh temperatures with mercury soaring over 40°C last week, recorded 38.5°C on Saturday, which was 1.8°C higher than the seasonal average.

On the other hand, Vellanikkara in Thrissur district recorded the same temperature of 38.5°C on Saturday, which was 3.4°C higher than the seasonal average.

Yellow alert

Further, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for 11 districts on Sunday warning of above normal temperatures.

Maximum temperatures are likely to be around 39°C in Palakkad, 38°C in Thrissur, 37°C in Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kozhikode and Kannur, and around 36°C in Alappuzha,

Kottayam, Ernakulam, Malappuram, and Kasargod (2°C to 4°C above normal) until April 17.

Therefore, hot and humid weather is likely over these districts except in hilly areas during this period. The State is also likely to witness isolated thundershowers, especially central and southern Kerala, under the influence of a cyclonic circulation that lies over the Comorin area and neighbourhood and a trough/wind discontinuity that runs from this cyclonic circulation to Konkan and Goa.

Despite the controversy over Keralites being recruited to Russia to join the war against Ukraine under false promises, suspicious recruitments to Russia are still going on in various parts of the State with no system to ascertain the genuineness of the drives.

A recruitment drive held in Kochi on Saturday to recruit shuttering carpenters, steel fixers, masons, ARC /MIG /TIG welders, civil foremen, and steel fabricators for a nuclear power project in Russia was attended by close to 50 prospective candidates.