The India Meteorological Department on Sunday said a low-pressure area has formed over the Arabian Sea near Lakshadweep. “It is very likely to intensify into a depression over southeast and adjoining East-central Arabian Sea during next 48 hours,” the weather department added. “It is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify further into a cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours.”

The weather department said Kerala, Lakshadweep and coastal Karnataka would receive widespread rainfall “with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places” on Sunday and Monday. It advised fishermen not to go out into the sea, and said wind speeds of 35 to 45 km per hour were “very likely to prevail over southeast and adjoining Lakshadweep and East-central Arabian Sea, Kerala and Karnataka coasts on June 9”.

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This warning came a day after monsoon hit the coast of Kerala after a delay of one week.

Meanwhile, the weather department said monsoon has advanced in the South Arabian Sea, most parts of Lakshadweep and some parts of Kerala and South Tamil Nadu, IANS reported. On Saturday, it had said conditions were favourable for the advancement of monsoon into southern areas of the North East by Monday.

On Friday, the Met department had sounded a red alert in four districts in Kerala ahead of the onset of monsoon. The districts that were asked to remain vigilant are Thrissur, Ernakulam, Malappuram, and Kozhikode.