The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services warned of high waves and sudden swell surges along Kerala, southern Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep, prompting curbs on fishing and beach activity.

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• INCOIS issued the red alert late on Friday, September 25, covering the entire Kerala coast.
• The alert warned of waves of one to one-and-a-half metres from 2:30 am on September 26 to 2:30 am on September 28.
• Kallakkadal is the local name for a sudden sea surge that arrives without any prior atmospheric warning.
• The Malayalam term is commonly translated as a sea that arrives like a thief.
• Such surges are caused by long-period swells generated by distant storms far out in the southern oceans, not by local weather.
• Similar warnings were issued for Kanyakumari, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts in Tamil Nadu, and for the Lakshadweep coast.
• Low-lying coastal areas faced the risk of inundation, waterlogging and sea erosion during the alert period.
• The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority advised people in vulnerable areas to move to safer places as directed by authorities.
• Fishing communities were told not to launch small boats and not to bring vessels ashore when waves intensified.
• Beach tourism and other beach-centred activities were to stay suspended until INCOIS withdrew the warning.
• INCOIS is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences that forecasts ocean conditions, including high swells and storm surges.