Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 2 (IANS): The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that Kerala will witness heavy to very heavy rainfalls in the next five days. This is due to the intensification of southwest monsoon in the state.

The weather department has announced an orange alert for Kannur and Kasargod districts from Monday to Wednesday. An orange alert indicates very heavy rainfall ranging from 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm in a period of 24 hours.

The IMD, however, predicted that there will be extremely high rain falls in Kozhikode district on Wednesday and rainfall above 204.4 mm is expected in the district.

The Kerala Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has asked the public to be extremely cautious as there are possibilities of flash floods and landslides. The KSDMA has also asked people living near the coasts to be prepared to shift to relief camps if rains intensifies and situation turns worse.

Fishermen are also directed not to venture into the sea in Kerala, Karnataka and Lakshadweep till Wednesday.