Thiruvananthapuram | As heavy rains lashed parts of Kerala, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued an orange alert in three districts of the state for the day.

The IMD issued an orange alert for Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Malappuram districts.

It also issued a yellow alert in Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Palakkad districts of the state.

An orange alert means very heavy rains from 12 cm to 20 cm of rain and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm.

Additionally, the IMD also predicted thunderstorm with moderate rainfall and gusty winds at one or two places in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Malappuram districts and light rainfall at one or two places in all other districts of Kerala.

Earlier in the day, it predicted isolated heavy rainfall in Kerala for the next few days due to the prevailing weather conditions over the southern part of the country.

An IMD forecast said that a cyclonic circulation lay over south Tamil Nadu and neighbouring areas which was likely to move west-north westwards towards southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea in the next three days.

Under the influence of the strong lower level easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal due to the above systems, widespread light to moderate rainfall is very likely over south peninsular India during the next seven days, it said.

It also said that isolated heavy rainfall was very likely over Kerala between November 5 and 8 and isolated very heavy rainfall also very likely in the state on Sunday.