Fishing towns brace as an early swell batters the Malabar shore

Authorities move 4,000 families inland; trawler operators count a lost fortnight.

In Kozhikode, the change was felt first by the people who track it for a living. Officials briefed on the matter cautioned that the early numbers will be revised.

The story, as ever, is in the distribution: who gains, who waits, and how long the advantage lasts once the initial momentum fades. That is the question this week leaves open.