Cyclone Ditwah heads towards Tamil Nadu as fresh alerts issued, flights cancelled

With Cyclone Ditwah steadily advancing towards the north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts, Indian authorities have stepped up preparedness on multiple fronts, from large-scale relief operations to flight cancellations and district-wide holiday notifications for schools and colleges. 

The system, currently moving across coastal Sri Lanka and the adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, continues to intensify, prompting an orange alert across several regions. The death toll rose to 123, with an additional 130 people still reported missing in Sri Lanka.

Cyclone’s Current Position And IMD Forecast

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Ditwah over coastal Sri Lanka and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with the speed of 8 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centered at 05:30 am today over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Sri Lanka.

It lay approximately:

300 km south-southeast of Puducherry
400 km south of Chennai

The IMD said the cyclone will very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards and reach over southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning on Sunday.

Wind speeds along the coast are currently 50-60 kmph, gusting to 70 kmph. Winds are expected to strengthen significantly, peaking at gale-force speeds of 70-80 kmph (gusting up to 90 kmph) between Saturday morning and the morning of Sunday. Conditions will then ease, returning to 50-60 kmph squally winds by December 1. The sea is currently rough to very rough and is forecast to escalate to very rough to high until Sunday.

Chennai Airport Cancels 54 Flights

Chennai Airport authorities have cancelled 54 scheduled flights in view of the cyclone’s approach and the IMD’s forecast of extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds over the next 48 hours.

The suspended services include ATR-type regional turboprop flights scheduled between Saturday morning and night. Flights to destinations such as Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Thoothukudi, Salem, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Jaffna have been affected.

Both departures and arrivals have been cancelled, and airlines have advised passengers to avoid last-minute travel to the airport. Airport officials said the decision was taken after assessing the risks posed by cyclonic winds and heavy downpour.

Severe Rainfall Warning Across Tamil Nadu

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has warned of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across several districts as Cyclone Ditwah intensifies.

According to official notifications, schools and colleges are closed today in Perambalur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Pudukottai, Puducherry and Karaikal.

In Villupuram, Thanjavur and Tiruchi districts, only schools have been declared a holiday, while colleges will continue to operate unless further instructions are issued.

The Pondicherry Central University announced that all exams scheduled to be held on Saturday have been postponed and a holiday was declared for all classes at the university because of Cyclone Ditwah. A release from the Registrar of the University on Friday night said that the postponement of examinations and also cancellation of classes were due to a communication received from the Coast Guard about the cyclone and the heavy rains.

Chennai and adjoining districts have been placed under warnings for intense rain and gusty winds. The RMC expects:

Very heavy to extremely heavy spells in Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai
Intense rainfall in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Ranipet and Tiruvannamalai
Heavy to very heavy rain in Salem, Kallakurichi, Perambalur, Tiruchi and Ariyalur
Intense spells across delta districts like Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam
Heavy rainfall in Vellore, Tirupathur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Namakkal and Karur

State Advisory 

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu District administrations have urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel, stay clear of waterlogged areas and continuously monitor official updates.

Fishermen have been strictly warned against venturing into the sea due to rough conditions and strong winds along the coast. 
Fishermen in Thanjavur’s coastal areas have anchored their boats safely due to Cyclone Ditwah. Around 1,500 mechanised boat operators and over 2,000 country boat fishermen have secured their vessels along the shores.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also held consultations with the District Collectors of 14 districts regarding precautionary measures following Cyclone Ditwah on Friday.

Sixteen State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams and 12 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed to districts where heavy rainfall is likely to occur.

India Extends Humanitarian Aid To Sri Lanka

India expanded its humanitarian support to Sri Lanka on Saturday under Operation Sagar Bandhu, as an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft landed in Colombo with nearly 12 tonnes of relief material.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared the update on X, stating that the consignment includes tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits and ready-to-eat food items.

India on Friday launched ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’ to assist Sri Lanka in its hour of crisis, and the first tranche of relief materials was handed over after the consignments were transported by the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and frontline ship INS Udaigiri to the island nation.

(With inputs from agencies)