The India Meteorological Department on Friday sounded an orange alert for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and nearby south Andhra Pradesh coasts, as cyclonic storm ‘Ditwah’ moved north-northwestward over coastal Sri Lanka and the southwest Bay of Bengal.
The IMD, in its press bulltein, said that the system is intensifying further with stronger winds and chances of extremely heavy rain. It is expected to head towards the southwest Bay of Bengal off those coasts by early November 30 morning, sparking urgent warnings for seaside communities and fishing fleets.
The weather department has also strictly advised fishermen not to venture into the southwest Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Mannar, Comorin area, and along/off Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts till 1 December. Fishermen already at sea have been urged to return to the nearest coast immediately.
At 0230 hrs IST Friday, its center hovered near 8.1°N, 81.2°E, roughly 50 km south of Trincomalee, 70 km northwest of Batticaloa, 220 km north of Hambantota, 460 km southeast of Puducherry, and 560 km southeast of Chennai, after crawling 10 kmph in the past six hours.
Heavy Rains To Likely Batter Tamil Nadu Through Weekend
Rainfall patterns shifted dramatically across the region as the cyclone intensified. On November 27, light to moderate showers isolated spots were witnessed in Tamil Nadu, increasing over the south with thunderstorms flashing in a couple areas. Heavy rain also hit Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukkottai, and Nagapattinam districts.
Light to moderate rain occurred at isolated places across Tamil Nadu, with heavier activity in the southern districts. Thunderstorms and lightning were observed at one or two locations. Heavy rainfall was recorded in Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukkottai, and Nagapattinam.
Here’s the weather forecast till Dec 1:
- November 28: Light to moderate rain is likely at many places over South Tamil Nadu and at a few locations in northern Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal. Extremely heavy rainfall is forecast at one or two places in Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Pudukkottai.
Heavy to very heavy rain is expected in Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Tiruchirappalli, Mayiladuthurai, Ariyalur, and Karaikal, with heavy rain in isolated pockets of Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Perambalur, Cuddalore, and Puducherry.
- November 29: Widespread rain is expected across the state, especially in northern districts. Heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy spells may occur in Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Villuppuram, Chengalpattu, Puducherry, and Karaikal.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is also expected in Thanjavur, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Ranipet, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Chennai. Isolated heavy rain is forecast for Pudukkottai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tirupattur, Karur, and Namakkal.
- November 30: Light to moderate rain is likely over northern Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is forecast in Tiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Ranipet, with isolated heavy rain in Vellore, Tirupattur, Tiruvannamalai, Villuppuram, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, and Puducherry.
- December 1: Light to moderate rain is expected at isolated places across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning in a few pockets.
Gale Winds Escalate, Fishermen Urged To Stay Ashore
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal coasts clocked 35-45 kmph surface winds November 27, with a forecast of 40-50 kmph at several spots on Friday. Winds are forecast to strengthen to 40-50 kmph at several coastal locations. Gale-force winds of 65-75 kmph (gusting up to 85 kmph) are active in the Gulf of Mannar and Comorin area, expected to increase to 70-80 kmph (gusting 90 kmph) by Friday morning.
Forecast for November 29–30:
Gulf of Mannar & Comorin: Winds may peak at 80-90 kmph with gusts up to 100 kmph, gradually decreasing afterward.
North Tamil Nadu & Puducherry coast: Squally winds of 50-60 kmph (gusting 70 kmph) will intensify into gale winds of 60-70 kmph (gusting 80 kmph) until Friday morning, peaking at 70-80 kmph with gusts up to 90 kmph from 29 Nov morning to 30 Nov evening.
South Tamil Nadu coast: Squally winds of 55-65 kmph (gusting 75 kmph) will increase to 60-70 kmph (gusting 80 kmph) from 29 Nov until midnight 30 Nov.
Southwest Bay of Bengal: Gale winds of 60-70 kmph (gusting 80 kmph) will intensify to 70-80 kmph (gusting 90 kmph), with peak winds of 80-90 kmph (gusting 100 kmph) likely between 29 Nov morning and 30 Nov morning.
West-central Bay of Bengal & south Andhra Pradesh coast: Squally winds of 35-45 kmph (gusting 55 kmph) will strengthen to 50-60 kmph (gusting 70 kmph) from Friday evening, with gale winds of 60-70 kmph (gusting 80 kmph) expected from 29 Nov evening to 1 Dec morning.
Southeast Arabian Sea & Lakshadweep/Kerala coasts: Squally weather with winds of 45-55 kmph (gusting 65 kmph) is likely on 28–29 November.
