Thiruvananthapuram | As heavy rains lashed several parts of Kerala, IMD on Friday evening issued an orange alert in four of the state's 14 districts.

The alert was issued for Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram.

The India Meteorological Department also predicted thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and gusty winds reaching up to 40 kilometers per hour at one or two places in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts.

An orange alert indicates "very heavy rainfall", ranging from 6 cm to 20 cm