'Red' alert is the highest alert for issuing heavy rainfall warning, says IMD

A 'red' alert is the highest alert for issuing heavy rainfall warning and the India Met Department (IMD) does not currently follow any other mode to indicate a graver warning.

The IMD clarified this in a brief on weather warnings/colour coded alerts for intense rain spells issued in August for Kerala even as controversy raged locally on whether the warnings were issued sufficiently in advance.

Among worst floods

The intense rain spells from August 9 to 15 had set off one of the worst flooding in the century in the State that claimed close to 500 lives and displaced more than a million people. Short and medium-range forecasts (five days in advance) had been issued from the local office of the IMD at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala's capital, from time to time, the IMD brief said.

Thus, 'orange' alerts (prepare for action) were issued from August 6 applicable for August 8 onwards, while a 'red' alert (for action) were issued with effect from August 9. Further, for showing the expected severity of rainfall intensity, 'heavy' (7-11 cm in 24 hours) to 'very heavy' (12-20 cm in 24 hours) rainfall warning was issued for Kerala with effect from August 10 for August 14 with 'orange' alert for Idukki and Alappuzha and 'red' alert for Wayanad.

On August 11, a 'heavy to very heavy rainfall' warning was extended for August 15 also, with an 'orange' alert to Idukki and Wayanad districts. On August 12, a 'red' alert was issued for Idukki effective from August 14. The same day (August 14), a 'heavy to very heavy' rainfall warning was issued for August 14 and 15 with a 'red' alert and 'orange' alerts for most of the districts.

Bulletins from Delhi

On August 15, extremely heavy (>20 cm in 24 hours) rainfall warning was issued for entire Kerala with a 'red' alert to all districts on August 16, while for August 17, it was 'red' for seven districts and 'orange' for the remaining seven districts.

Weather bulletins issued from the Delhi office of the IMD had also carried warnings for Kerala in ‘orange’ and ‘red’ colours about 2-3 days in advance of the event, advising disaster managers to be alert and initiate action respectively.

Extended range forecasts (issued two weeks in advance) issued from Delhi had indicated on August 2 that the rainfall over 'extreme south peninsula' shall be above normal during August 9 to 15. In the subsequent press release issued August 9 also, this was repeated along with a date-wise indication of likely widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall over Kerala resuming from August 13.

The above press releases had been communicated to the Chief Secretaries of all the states via E-mail and also posted on the IMD website. In short, the brief said the IMD had issued all necessary severe weather warnings through its office in Thiruvananthapuram, the brief said.

District-wise forecast

As per regular practice, warnings are uploaded in the local website ( www.imdtvm.gov.in ) every day. District-wise rainfall forecast along with warnings with colour coded alerts are also uploaded and updated thrice daily in the website.

'Nowcasts' for next three hours are also issued through SMS to the State Disaster Management Authority Authority (SDMA), the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), and district collectors using Doppler Weather Radar data.

Weather forecasts for five days and outlook for subsequent two days, which also include heavy rainfall warning and wind warning, are sent through e-mail to the Chief Secretary, the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster Management), the SDMA, they Navy, Special Marine Enforcement, and the print and the electronic media.

High-level officials of the Kerala Government were briefed in a meeting convened by the Chief Minister on August 9 about the strong monsoon conditions with heavy rainfall activity. The Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster Management) was also briefed orally over phone on all occasions.

The Member-Secretary, SDMA, was briefed on August 10. The district collectors of Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram were briefed on August 14. Briefings were sent to media also during this period.

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