Cyclonic storm Ditwah is steadily advancing towards the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast, bringing heavy rain to coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and adjoining southern parts of Andhra Pradesh. The severe weather has disrupted normal life across several parts of southern India, with air, rail, and road services significantly affected.
The storm has now weakened as it approached the coastline, and a landfall is unlikely to happen.
The cyclone-triggered downpour has disrupted normal life in many regions, with Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam districts bearing the brunt. Multiple disaster response personnel, including teams from the SDRF and the NDRF, are on standby. Several areas remain under red alert for very heavy rainfall.
After causing widespread destruction in Sri Lanka, the cyclone is currently centred on the Vedaranyam coast in Nagapattinam district, about 80 km east of Karaikal and 250 km south of Chennai.
According to the latest bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department, the system is very likely to move nearly northwards, running parallel to the North Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coasts over the next 24 hours. While moving northward, the cyclonic storm will come within a minimum distance of 50 km from the coast by Sunday morning and 25 km by evening.
Under its influence, sea conditions along the coast have turned turbulent. Choppy waves damaged a few mechanised fishing boats anchored near Mandapam, and portions of nearby roads have been breached due to severe sea erosion. Vedaranyam has been receiving continuous heavy rainfall, inundating several areas and crippling salt production, with nearly 9,000 acres of salt pans affected.
Districts including Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Villuppuram, Chengalpattu, and the Puducherry–Karaikal region have been classified under the red alert zone in anticipation of extremely heavy rain. An orange alert has been issued for Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Ranipet districts.
The IMD has also warned of gale-force winds at speeds of 70-80 kmph, gusting up to 90 kmph, likely to prevail on Sunday morning. Wind speeds are expected to decrease gradually, turning squally at 45-55 kmph, gusting up to 65 kmph by the morning of December 1. Sea conditions, currently “high,” are likely to improve gradually, becoming very rough to rough on December 1 and 2 before improving further, officials said.
Tamil Nadu’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister K. Ramachandran said it remains uncertain whether the cyclone will strike near Chennai, but the state government is fully prepared to roll out rescue and relief measures on a war footing.
“About 28 disaster response teams, including SDRF and NDRF, are on standby. We are planning to airlift 10 additional teams from other states. The Indian Air Force and the Indian Coast Guard have been alerted. Monitoring teams will also be dispatched to districts tomorrow,” he said.
So far, no fatalities have been reported. However, 16 livestock have died and 24 huts have been damaged. “There has been no major impact from the rain yet, but we are monitoring the situation closely and have deployed rescue and relief teams,” he added.
Nearly 6,000 relief camps have been set up across districts. Based on weather office updates suggesting that the storm may move parallel to the Chennai coast, the public has been urged to adhere to safety instructions issued by Chief Minister MK Stalin.
An official said 14 NDRF teams have already been deployed in vulnerable districts, including Villuppuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, and Mayiladuthurai. Additional teams have also been allocated for Puducherry and Chennai. Fishermen have stayed away from the sea for the second consecutive day due to rough conditions.
Authorities at the Chennai International Airport said 54 flights to various destinations were cancelled due to the cyclone. After IMD warned that the storm could bring heavy to very heavy rainfall with wind speeds of 10-15 knots, gusting to 25 knots from the northeast direction, the airport said it has stepped up precautionary measures in a post on X.
The Southern Railway announced changes to train operations due to the storm. The release also mentioned that wind speeds at the Pamban Bridge have receded and are within permissible limits, and train traffic to Rameswaram will resume soon.
In Chennai, the Water Resources Department said surplus water from the Chembarambakkam Reservoir and the Poondi Reservoir is being discharged into the sea as a precaution to safeguard the dams.
Tourists have been advised against visiting Dhanushkodi, which was destroyed in the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone. The name ‘Ditwa’, referring to a lagoon, was suggested by Yemen and is believed to have originated from Detwah Lagoon on Socotra’s northwest coast.
