Heavy rains lashed many parts of Kerala. Huge tidal waves hit low-lying coastal areas after the low-pressure area in the south-eastern Arabian Sea intensified into a cyclonic storm on Friday.The India Meteorological Department said that the deep depression intensified into a cyclonic storm over the Lakshadweep area and adjoining the southeast and the east-central Arabian Sea. The IMD further said that cyclone Tauktae is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm on May 17 and cross the Gujarat coast a day later. A cyclone alert has been issued for Gujarat and Diu coasts.Meanwhile, authorities in Kerala have started shifting people in low-lying areas to safety in anticipation of massive tidal flooding in the southern part of the state. Authorities sounded red alerts in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts on May 14.
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Airline operations in Kerala have been affected due to the cyclone. Arline operator Vistara announced that flights to and from Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, and Ahmedabad are likely to be impacted till May 17 due to the adverse weather conditions expected over Arabian sea.IndiGo informed that flights to and from Kannur had been impacted due to cyclone Tauktae.A yellow alert has been issued for Maharashtra for May 16. A yellow alert signifies a high likelihood of heavy rains at isolated places.IMD has predicted light to moderate rain for Thane, Mumbai and Palghar on Saturday. An orange alert has been issued for Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts for the weekend, indicating heavy to very heavy rains at a few places.The National Disaster Response Force has deployed at least 24 teams are pre-deployed and 29 teams are on standby for Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
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