India Meteorological Department today issued an alert on heavy rainfall at various places in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal on 8th May and over Kerala & Mahe and South Interior Karnataka on 8th  and 11th May.

It also forecast widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds over Kerala and South interior Karnataka during the next 5 days

Besides, IMD stated that a cyclonic circulation lies over Southwest Bay of Bengal off north Tamil Nadu coast in the middle tropospheric levels.

The forecast for the other regions of the country include:

Northeast India:

*Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall likely over Arunachal Pradesh & Assam & Meghalaya during next 3 days.

*Heavy rainfall very likely at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh on 9th May.

Northwest India:

*Fairly widespread rainfall and snowfall very likely over Western Himalayan region and with isolated rainfall over adjoining plains on 8th May.

*Hailstorm very likely at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on 8th May.

*A Western Disturbance as a cyclonic circulation lies over north Pakistan & adjoining Jammu & Kashmir in middle tropospheric levels.