Southern India was lashed by heavy rain on Wednesday, with weather officials issuing a red alert for flash floods and landslides.

The Indian Meteorological Department warned of “heavy to very heavy” rainfall expected in parts of southern Tamil Nadu state, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.

Heavy rain and high winds have battered southern India since Tuesday, forcing many schools to close and disrupting train services.

In the city of Chennai, people used boats on the flooded streets with water in places higher than car engines.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday said all relief efforts were being carried out “in full swing” and also announced free food at government-run restaurants.

Deadly rain-related floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.

In the southern tech hub of Bengaluru, traffic was at a crawl as several roads were flooded. The downpour also delayed the cricket, bringing the first Test between India and New Zealand to a standstill.

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