Chennai: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert in the city and its surrounding areas as Cyclone Ditwah moves closer to the Indian coast. According to the weather department, Cyclone Ditwah, which has already caused destruction in coastal Sri Lanka, is expected to bring 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 (RMC) has issued red, yellow and orange 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 with rainfall intensity expected to fluctuate as the system progresses. The rainfall is predicted in Chennai, Ariyalur, Chegalpattu, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Nagapattinam, Viluppuram, Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Kallakurichi, Kanniyakumari, Tiruppur, Vellore, Virudhunagar, Madurai, and Sivaganga, among others.
Andhra Pradesh to experience 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.
About cyclone Ditwah
The name Ditwah means lagoon, and it was suggested by Yemen as part of the cyclone naming convention. The name especially refers to Detwah Lagoon, a famous and protected coastal lagoon on the northwestern coast of Socotra Island. Cyclone Ditwah is a tropical storm that developed in the Bay of Bengal and is heading toward the shores of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry, causing heavy rainfall, intense winds, and possible flooding.
