Continuous rain warning for Penang, Perlis, Kedah and Perak

MetMalaysia has issued a continuous rain warning for four northern states on Sunday. It covers all of Perlis and Penang, plus several districts in Kedah and Perak.

The alert stays in force until Monday, 26 October. Meanwhile, overnight rain has already flooded parts of Penang.

Here are the districts, the flood details and what officials say.

Where the warning applies

The continuous rain warning is at alert level, MetMalaysia said in its notice on its website. The department issued it at 9.45am today and expects rain throughout the period.

All of Perlis and Penang fall under the warning. In addition, it covers nine districts in Kedah.

The Kedah districts are Langkawi, Kubang Pasu, Kota Setar, Pokok Sena, Pendang, Yan, Kuala Muda, Kulim and Bandar Baharu.

In Perak, it covers seven districts. They are Kerian, Selama, Larut Matang, Manjung, Perak Tengah, Bagan Datuk and Hilir Perak. In our report on the Perak floods, 54 evacuees went home on 20 October.

The notice gives no end time beyond Monday. It also gives no rainfall figures for the continuous rain warning.

So residents should check MetMalaysia for updates. The agency advises using its website, the myCuaca app and its social media pages.

People can also call 1-300-22-1638 for more help.

What the overnight rain did in Penang

Heavy rain fell for several hours last night and caused flash floods in Penang, Malay Mail reported. Water flooded homes in Taman Cantek and Jalan Jelawat.

The Penang fire department got an emergency call at 12.24am. Assistant director of operations John Sagun Francis said crews went to the scene.

The operation ended at 1.10am, he said in a statement today. A video of the water, shared on Facebook, shows the scene.

In Taman Cantek, flash floods affected 20 houses. Water reached about 0.3 metres, or one foot.

The department believes heavy rain and a rising drain nearby caused the flood. It also blamed the rain and nearby drains for the flood on Jalan Jelawat in Seberang Jaya.

Water there also rose to about 0.3 metres. Nearby homes were hit.

Flash floods also hit several other areas. They include Bayan Lepas, Bayan Baru, Seberang Jaya, Ampang Jajar and Bukit Mertajam.

However, the statement says officers evacuated no victims.

The report gives a house count only for Taman Cantek. It gives no total for the other areas, so the full toll remains unclear.

The link to the Paya Terubong landslide

The same overnight rain came before a deadly slope failure on the island. A 73-year-old man died in the Paya Terubong landslide this morning.

Officials have not named a cause yet. Instead, they await ground reports from the authorities.

For that reason, we cannot say the rain caused the landslide. The two events share only the timing.

Still, steady rain can soften hill soil. The city council has already halted a nearby hill project.

The advice below is general and does not come from MetMalaysia. Residents on hill slopes should watch for signs of a landslide. Examples include new cracks, leaning trees or muddy water.

Similarly, drivers should avoid flooded roads. Families in low areas should also keep key papers high up.

Meanwhile, the alert remains in force across the four states. We will update this story as officials release more details