Cyclone Ditwah: Heavy Rain, Strong Winds to Hit Tamil Nadu & Puducherry Today; Red Alert Issued

Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds is set to batter Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Sunday as cyclonic storm Ditwah moves parallel to the region’s coastline. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for several districts in Tamil Nadu, warning of extremely heavy rainfall in isolated areas and heavy to very heavy showers across many others.

Flight disruptions
Chennai Airport cancelled 47 flights scheduled for Sunday, including 36 domestic and 11 international services. Of the domestic flights, 18 departing for Madurai, Tiruchi, Thoothukudi and Salem and 18 incoming flights from these cities were called off.

Storm movement
In its latest bulletin, the IMD said Ditwah moved nearly northwards at around 5 kmph over the past six hours and remained positioned roughly 80 km east of Karaikal in Puducherry. The system is expected to move northward along the Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coasts over the next 24 hours, remaining over the southwest Bay of Bengal at distances of around 50 km and later 25 km from the coast during the early and late hours of Sunday.

Rainfall forecast in Tamil Nadu & Puducherry
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai has predicted:

• Extremely heavy rain in one or two areas of Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Puducherry and Karaikal.

• Heavy to very heavy rain in several districts including Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Ranipet.

• Heavy showers in pockets of Vellore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul and Theni.

Light to moderate rain is likely across most of Tamil Nadu and the Puducherry–Karaikal region, with isolated thunderstorms and lightning.

Authorities have advised residents to remain indoors, avoid coastal areas and heed local warnings. Fishermen have been strictly cautioned against venturing into the sea.

Rainfall alerts for Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Telangana
The IMD has also issued alerts for neighbouring states:

• Coastal Andhra Pradesh–Yanam and Rayalaseema: Light to moderate rain, with heavy to very heavy rainfall in some places and extremely heavy rain in isolated areas.

• Kerala: Light to moderate rain in many areas, with isolated heavy showers.

• Telangana: Light to moderate rain in parts of the state and isolated heavy rainfall.