Cyclone Ditwah: Landfall likely on Nov 30; heavy rain alerts issued for AP & Tamil Nadu

Credit: @jnmet (X)

A fresh weather system brewing over the southwest Bay of Bengal intensified into Cyclonic Storm ‘Ditwah’ on Thursday, just a day after Cyclone Senyar weakened and spared Andhra Pradesh widespread damage.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Ditwah is now on course to make landfall between north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh on November 30, bringing with it a fresh spell of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across coastal and interior regions.

This development marks the third cyclone to form in the Bay during the post-monsoon season of October-November. It took shape near the southeast coast of Sri Lanka, in the waters adjoining the equatorial Indian Ocean.

Ditwah’s movement and current position

As of Thursday evening, the IMD reported the system to be positioned close to the east of Pottuvil in Sri Lanka, about 90 km south-southeast of Batticaloa and 120 km northeast of Hambantota. It lay nearly 610 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 700 km from Chennai, steadily moving northwestward.

The cyclone’s rain bands would begin influencing weather in Andhra Pradesh from Friday, particularly in Nellore and Tirupati districts, which are expected to be among the first to receive heavy showers.

Red and orange alerts issued for AP

The IMD has issued a series of alerts for Andhra Pradesh as the storm draws nearer. On November 29, an orange alert has been declared for Nellore, Tirupati, Annamayya and Chittoor districts, where heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely. Surrounding districts, including Sri Sathya Sai, Anantapur, Kadapa, Prakasam and Bapatla, may also see heavy rain.

The system is forecast to intensify further before landfall, triggering a red alert on November 30 for parts of south coastal and Rayalaseema regions. Chittoor, Tirupati, Annamayya, Nellore, Kadapa and Prakasam districts are expected to face extremely heavy rainfall. Neighbouring districts such as Nandyal, Palnadu, Guntur and Bapatla will be under orange alert, while several others including Kurnool, NTR, Krishna and West Godavari may experience moderate to heavy showers.

Widespread rainfall is expected to continue on December 1, with another orange alert issued for Prakasam, Bapatla, Guntur and Krishna districts. Rainfall of varying intensity could extend into Kadapa, Nandyal, Kurnool, Palnadu, NTR, Eluru, West Godavari, East Godavari and Konaseema, potentially impacting low-lying and coastal regions.

Alongside rain, strong winds are expected to batter the coast. Squally winds of 35-45 kmph, gusting up to 55 kmph, are likely along the south Andhra coast on Friday.

From the evening of November 29, wind speeds may increase significantly to 60-70 kmph, with gusts reaching 80 kmph along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast. The IMD has strongly advised fishermen not to venture into the sea until November 30, and those already offshore have been urged to return immediately.

Heavy Rains for Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, northern districts including Chennai and Tiruvallur are expected to receive heavy rain over the weekend. As a precaution, authorities reopened the shutters of Chennai’s three major drinking water reservoirs on Thursday to release controlled quantities of water, creating buffer capacity for any potential inflow from the cyclone’s rains.

The IMD has placed Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai under a red alert, while Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Ranipet and Chengalpattu remain under orange alert.

Meanwhile, Telangana is expected to remain largely unaffected. Despite cloudy skies over Hyderabad on Thursday, the IMD said the city is unlikely to receive rainfall and may even experience slightly warmer temperatures due to the cyclone’s influence over the Bay of Bengal.