New Delhi: As northern India continues to deal with scorching heat, Kerala the other hand is receiving heavy rain and the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an "orange" alert for the state on Thursday, May 23, after heavy rain lashed several parts of the state.

The weather bulletin of the weather agency stated that heavy to very rainfall is likely to occur in several isolated places in the state.

"Heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places in Kerala on May 24 and May 25…Thunderstorms accompanied with gusty winds and lightning likely to occur at one or two places in Kerala from May 23 to May 26," the bulletin read.

As per the weather department, high waves in the range of 0.4 to 3.3 metres and sea incursions are predicted along the coast of Kerala from Vizhinjam in the south to Kasaragod in the north till Thursday night.

• Earlier on Wednesday, May 23, extremely heavy rains lashed Kerala with a red alert issued in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Idukki.
• Furthermore, on the same day, an ‘orange’ alert was issued in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Wayanad, while a ‘yellow’ alert was issued in the Kannur and Kasaragod districts.
• As per media reports, four people were killed as torrential rains lashed several parts of Kerala on Wednesday. According to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), the deaths were reported from different districts across the state in various rain-hit incidents. Several roads were also flooded across the city.
• Given the incessant rainfall, the Kerala Health Department has opened a 'state control room' as part of efforts to strengthen its epidemic prevention activities, PTI reported.