Cyclone Ditwah, currently located over coastal Sri Lanka and the adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, is expected to drive intense rainfall across Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh through the weekend. Authorities have issued alerts across states and have begun district-level preparedness.
Heavy rain warnings across Tamil Nadu
The Regional Meteorological Centre has issued red, orange and yellow alerts for multiple districts, with the delta and adjoining regions likely to see the heaviest impact on Friday, November 28.
Ditwah is forecast to move towards north Tamil Nadu by early Sunday, with rainfall intensity expected to fluctuate as the system progresses. B Amudha, Additional in-charge at the RMC, said that more clarity on the landfall would emerge as the cyclone moves closer.
Shutters of Chennai’s Red Hills reservoir, along with two other major water sources, were reopened to release minimal quantities of water in anticipation of heavy inflow. Cyclone Signal IV has been hoisted at Thoothukudi port. Several districts have declared holidays for schools and colleges, including Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai and Pudukottai, while Rameswaram block alone will remain shut in Ramanathapuram district.
Nagapattinam district has activated round-the-clock control rooms and stocked essential supplies, particularly in low-lying areas. Three taluk-level teams covering evacuation, search and rescue, and shelter management have been deployed across the division.
Andhra Pradesh to see very heavy rainfall for three days
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted very heavy to scattered extremely heavy rainfall over Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh from November 29 to December 1.
According to the IMD, Ditwah formed near Sri Lanka on Thursday morning and is likely to continue moving north northwestwards, reaching the southwest Bay of Bengal off the Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra coasts by early November 30.
Meanwhile, four Colombo-bound flights were diverted to Thiruvananthapuram due to adverse weather over Sri Lanka, where severe flooding and landslides have caused extensive disruption and a rising death toll.
In Karnataka, Bengaluru Urban has recorded a 47 percent northeast monsoon deficit so far, with the approaching weather system expected to bring some relief.
