IMD issues yellow alert as cyclone Ditwah approaches Tamil Nadu

With Cyclonic Storm Ditwah inching closer to the southern coast, the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai has issued a yellow alert for multiple districts in Tamil Nadu, warning of light to moderate rain, thunderstorms, and lightning over the next three hours on Friday. The alert signals the need for caution, especially in coastal and vulnerable regions.

According to the Chennai Meteorological Department, the affected areas under the yellow alert include Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukkudi, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Tenkasi, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam districts, and Karaikal in Puducherry. Officials stated that the weather activity is expected to intensify as the cyclone draws nearer to the Tamil Nadu coast.

Cyclonic Storm Ditwah is currently positioned over coastal Sri Lanka and the adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal and has been moving north-northwestwards at a speed of 10 kmph for the past six hours.

The Meteorological Department said the storm is very likely to continue its north-northwestward movement, gradually approaching the southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts. It is expected to reach these regions by early morning of November 30, potentially bringing widespread rainfall and strong winds.

With the threat of heavy rainfall and possible flooding, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed eight teams across several districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, following requests from state disaster management authorities.Puducherry has received two teams (60 personnel). Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Cuddalore and Tiruvarur have each been allocated one team

Each NDRF team consists of 30 trained personnel, equipped for evacuation, rescue and relief operations. The deployment also includes a Search Dog Unit comprising four trained sniffer dogs Rani, Mickey, Laika and Rambo to help locate people trapped under debris during emergencies.