Cyclone Ditwah: IMD warns heavy rains in these states; Tamil Nadu declares red alert, shuts schools
Schools are closed, and widespread disruptions are expected. The storm has also prompted humanitarian evacuations of Indian nationals stranded in Sri Lanka.
New Delhi: Southern India is on high alert as Cyclonic Storm Ditwah intensifies its approach. The cyclone is set to bring widespread rainfall across the region over the next 24 hours.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a stringent red alert for parts of Tamil Nadu, warning of "extremely heavy rainfall" in anticipation of the storm's landfall. Similar grim forecasts are in place for Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.
As the cyclone loomed closer to India’s eastern coast, heavy rain and fierce winds battered parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Sunday. The IMD’s latest bulletin predicted, "Heavy to Very Heavy Rainfall with isolated Extremely Heavy Rainfall very likely at isolated places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal."
The storm, currently located near latitude 11.5°N and longitude 80.6°E, was moving nearly northwards at a speed of approximately 7 kmph. The IMD confirmed that the centre of Cyclone Ditwah is approximately 80 km from the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast. Its proximity to key locations was further detailed, i.e about 100 km east-southeast of Cuddalore and Puducherry, 110 km northeast of Karaikal, 150 km north-northeast of Vedaranniyam, and 170 km south-southeast of Chennai.
Meanwhile, Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam announced that government and government-aided schools will remain closed on Monday, due to inclement weather.
While the IMD's official forecast focuses on the immediate impact, several private weather bloggers suggest that Cyclone Ditwah is expected to gradually weaken into a deep depression and subsequently into a depression as it progresses northward by evening.
The cyclone's disruptive influence has already been felt beyond India's borders. In a significant humanitarian operation, at least 400 Indian nationals stranded at Colombo airport in Sri Lanka due to extreme weather conditions exacerbated by Cyclone Ditwah were successfully evacuated on Sunday.
According to Sri Lankan officials speaking to PTI news agency, approximately 150 of these people were flown back to Delhi on flight C130, while another 250 were transported to Trivandrum aboard flight IL 76. Both aircraft had initially arrived in Sri Lanka carrying vital food and humanitarian aid for victims of flash floods triggered by the same cyclone. Residents in affected areas are urged to stay informed and follow official advisories as the situation unfolds.