Cyclone Ditwah Advances From Sri Lanka Towards Indian Coast; Heavy Rain Alert Issued For Tamil Nadu

Cyclonic Storm Ditwah, which formed from a deep depression near the Sri Lanka coast, is now moving toward Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The weather agency has said the system is on course to approach the coastline on November 30, bringing with it heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across both coastal and interior areas in southern states.

In its last update at 9.00 a.m. on November 28, IMD described the system as “The *Cyclonic Storm Ditwah [Pronunciation: Ditwah]* over coastal Sri Lanka and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with the speed of 7 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centered at 0530 hrs IST of today, the 28th November 2025 over the same region, near latitude 8.2°N and longitude 81.1°E, about 50 km south-southwest of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 90 km northwest of Batticaloa (Sri Lanka), 230 km north of Hambantota (Sri Lanka), 440 km south-southeast of Puducherry (India) and 540 km south of Chennai (India).” the weather agency said in a post on X.

IMD added that the system is “very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards across Sri Lanka coast & adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal and reach over the southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of November 30.”

The IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai has issued a series of rainfall alerts for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and the Karaikal region for November 28 and 29.

On November 28, light to moderate rain is expected across the state, with heavier spells likely in south Tamil Nadu and parts of the north, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning at isolated locations. The IMD has placed Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Pudukkottai under a red alert with a forecast for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. An orange alert has been issued for Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Tiruchirappalli, Mayiladuthurai, Ariyalur, and along the Karaikal area, where heavy to very heavy showers are expected. Isolated pockets of Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Perambalur, Cuddalore and Puducherry may also experience spells of heavy rain.

According to the IMD forecast, light to moderate rain is likely across many parts of Tamil Nadu on November 29, particularly the northern districts, with thunderstorms or lightning at a few locations. Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Villuppuram, Chengalpattu, Puducherry and Karaikal have again been placed on red alert due to the predicted heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. Meanwhile, the weather agency has issued an orange alert for Thanjavur, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Ranipet, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chennai, warning about heavy to very heavy showers. Isolated heavy rainfall is also expected across Pudukkottai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tirupattur, Karur and Namakkal.

A red alert indicates extremely heavy rainfall of 21 cm or more, while an orange alert signals very heavy rainfall between 12 cm and 20 cm.

According to the IMD’s bulletin issued on November 27 at 6.30 p.m., gale-force winds are expected along and off the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts, as well as over the southwest Bay of Bengal, the Gulf of Mannar and the Comorin area. Wind speeds of 70-80 kmph, gusting to 90 kmph, are likely by the morning of November 28, strengthening further to 80-90 kmph with gusts up to 100 kmph by the morning of November 29 and continuing until November 30. Sea conditions in these regions are expected to remain turbulent until the morning of December 1, with gradual improvement thereafter. The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into these sea areas during this period.

At least 50 people have died, and 21 are missing in Sri Lanka after heavy rains caused floods and landslides, as per the latest reports. Floodwaters have swept through towns, destroying houses and forcing families into temporary shelters. With Cyclone Ditwah now moving along Sri Lanka’s eastern coastline, it has already created the country's most devastating weather-related disasters in recent memory.

Footage shared on social media shows entire houses being swept away as floodwaters tore through towns, prompting authorities to set up temporary shelters for displaced families.

River levels are rising rapidly. The irrigation department has issued a red-level flood warning for the Kelani River valley over the next 48 hours, which includes parts of the capital, Colombo. Sri Lanka’s meteorological office has warned that some central and northern regions may receive more than 200 mm of rainfall on November 28.