Heavy rains fell in areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry when cyclonic storm 'Ditwah' approached the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coastline. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert has been issued for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The cyclone, which caused major damage in Sri Lanka, has been heading north-northwest at roughly 10 kmph for the past six hours and is predicted to approach the shores of North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and South Andhra Pradesh by Sunday morning. The storm devastated the island nation, causing flooding and landslides in its aftermath.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for various Tamil Nadu districts, including Chennai, Cuddalore, Villupuram, and Kancheepuram, till 7 a.m. on Sunday, as Cyclone Ditwah approaches the Tamil Nadu coast with heavy rain. According to media reports, the Chennai Airport has cancelled 47 flights, 36 domestic and 11 international, scheduled for today.
If the cyclone grows further, flight cancellations are possible, according to the report. Passengers planning to travel today should check with their airlines for updated departure times and plan accordingly, according to Chennai Airport.
According to the most recent India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin, the storm over the Bay of Bengal has been moving almost northward at a speed of about 5 kmph over the past 6 hours. It remains in the same location, approximately 80 km east of Karaikal in Puducherry. It was located approximately 100 kilometres east-northeast of Vedaranniyam (India), 140 kilometres north-northeast of Jaffna (Sri Lanka), 160 kilometres south-southeast of Puducherry (India), and 250 kilometres south of Chennai.
By Sunday evening, the system is expected to pass within 25 km of the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coastline. "It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and reach over the southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of 30th November," IMD stated on X.
It added, "While moving north-northwestwards, the cyclonic storm will be centred over the southwest Bay of Bengal within a minimum distance of 60 km, 50 km and 25km from the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coastline by midnight of today, the 29th November, early morning and evening of tomorrow, the 30th November, respectively."
Cyclone Ditwah's torrential rains and flooding have killed 123 people in Sri Lanka, with another 130 still missing, the Disaster Management Centre reported on Saturday. Director General Sampath Kotuwegoda said relief activities were beginning, with 43,995 people relocated to state-run welfare centres after their homes were devastated by the week-long severe rains.
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