IMD issues orange and yellow alerts across Kerala districts as heavy rain continues

The India Meteorological Department placed several southern Kerala districts under an orange alert on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, forecasting heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over the following five days, with thunder and lightning reported from several regions (The New Indian Express, The Indian Express, The Hindu). The alerts followed bulletins earlier in the week that had kept districts across the State under yellow alert as weather systems over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal drew moisture towards the coast (Mathrubhumi, The Hindu).

What every report agrees on

Every report attributes the warnings to the IMD and describes a graded, district-wise alert system rather than a statewide declaration (Mathrubhumi, The Hindu, The New Indian Express, The Hindu, The Indian Express). All describe the rain as driven by low-pressure systems and cyclonic circulations over the seas on either side of the peninsula, with The Hindu citing a well-marked low-pressure area over the southwest Arabian Sea on October 20 and a low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Tamil Nadu coast on October 21 (The Hindu, The Hindu). The reports agree the spell was forecast to persist for about five days, with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds accompanying the rain (Mathrubhumi, The New Indian Express, The Hindu, The Indian Express).

How the left-leaning press told it

The Hindu, The New Indian Express, The Hindu and The Indian Express: District alert bulletins

Left-leaning outlets carried the story as a sequence of IMD bulletins. The Hindu, rated centre-left, led on the two sea systems and listed the districts under yellow alert on October 20, then reported an orange alert for four districts the next day (The Hindu, The Hindu). The New Indian Express and The Indian Express, both rated centre-left, named Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam under orange alert on October 21 (The New Indian Express, The Indian Express). The Indian Express also listed Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur among districts on a lower grade and reported that fishermen were told to stay off the coast (The Indian Express).

None of the right-leaning outlets Alethman reads carried this story in the period covered.

What the record shows

The reports differ on the count of districts in the top alert grade on October 21: The Hindu reported an orange alert for four districts (The Hindu), while The New Indian Express and The Indian Express each reported five, naming Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam (The New Indian Express, The Indian Express). On rainfall thresholds, Mathrubhumi reported on October 16 that the IMD's yellow alerts covered isolated downpours of up to 115.5 mm in 24 hours (Mathrubhumi); the later reports describe forecasts of heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places without giving comparable figures (The New Indian Express, The Hindu, The Indian Express). None of the reports read here records damage, casualties or flooding on the ground; the material is forecast and advisory, including the instruction to fishermen reported by The Indian Express (The Indian Express). Right-leaning outlets are not represented in the reports available.

Drafted by the Alethman engine from 5 independent reports, and checked by an editor before publication. An outlet's side comes from published media-bias ratings (Media Bias/Fact Check, AllSides) or documented ownership, named under the coverage bar; Alethman does not rate outlets itself.