THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, June 13 -- The families living along the steep, rain-scarred hillsides of Kannur and Wayanad know what an orange alert means. It means packing bags, checking drainage channels, and watching the slope behind the house for signs of movement.

The India Meteorological Department placed Kannur under an orange alert on Friday, warning of isolated very heavy rainfall between 115 and 204 millimetres within 24 hours. Eight additional districts, from Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasaragod in the north, were placed under yellow alerts for heavy rainfall, effectively putting most of Kerala on a rain watch as the monsoon's grip on the state tightens.

What makes the current intensity striking is how recently the monsoon arri...