Heavy rains lash Indian coasts as Cyclone Ditwah nears; IMD issues red alert in TN, Puducherry, Andhra

Heavy rains lashed the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and southern Andhra Pradesh as India braces for landfall of Cyclone Ditwah on Sunday (Nov 30). The severe weather conditions have disrupted air, rail, and road travel significantly. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert in the region, while the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have been deployed in the region to ensure public safety.

Earlier, the cyclone wreaked havoc in neighbouring Sri Lanka, killing at least 153 people. Nearly 200 remain missing in the country following heavy rains brought by Ditwah, which originated in the southwest Bay of Bengal and is the fourth named storm of the 2025 North Indian Ocean cyclone season.

According to the weather department, the storm has been moving northwards at about 5 kmph in the past 6 hours. The cyclone is expected to move along the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts over the next 24 hours, bringing extremely heavy rainfall along with strong winds.

The IMD said that the storm will come within 60 km of the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coastline by midnight today, while it will be within 25 km tomorrow evening. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicted in several locations in the region, with extremely heavy rain at isolated regions across Chengalpattu, Villuppuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, and Puducherry-Karaikal areas.

Tamil Nadu has deployed 28 disaster response teams with 6,000 relief camps in vulnerable districts. The state government said that it was reviewing emergency plans, preparing shelters and coordinating with local agencies to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, the weather conditions have also impacted flight operations in the region. The Chennai airport cancelled 54 flights on Saturday, including 36 domestic and 11 international. The authorities have urged passengers to check their flight status.