Cyclone Ditwah: Heavy rain likely in Kerala, fishermen warned off sea
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for five districts—Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Wayanad—on Saturday.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for five districts—Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Wayanad—on Saturday.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for five districts—Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Wayanad—on Saturday.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is likely to witness heavy rain accompanied by strong winds and thunder for the next five days under the influence of Cyclone Ditwah, which is expected to hit Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh by Saturday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning advising fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea off the Kerala and Lakshadweep coasts till November 30.
According to the IMD, strong winds reaching 45–65 kmph are expected to lash the Kerala and Lakshadweep coasts and adjoining areas of the Arabian Sea on Friday and Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has urged fishermen and coastal residents in Kerala to exercise caution, warning that the sea will be turbulent due to the Kallakkadal phenomenon—sudden sea swell causing rough waves—on Saturday until 11.30 pm. Tidal wave attacks are expected in the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Kozhikode districts.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for five districts—Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Wayanad—on Saturday.
TN and Andhra on high alert
The IMD has placed Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry on high alert as Cyclone Ditwah, over the Sri Lanka coast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, moved slowly northwards at 7 kmph over the past six hours and remained centred in the same region at 5.30 pm on Friday. It is located about 270 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 380 km south-southeast of Puducherry, and 490 km south-southeast of Chennai, according to the IMD bulletin.
The IMD forecasts that Ditwah will continue on a north-northwest track across the Sri Lanka coast and adjoining Bay of Bengal, approaching the North Tamil Nadu and South Andhra Pradesh coasts by early Sunday morning.
“Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is highly likely over coastal Tamil Nadu for the next three days from Friday,” a senior meteorologist at the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said, advising district administrations to remain on high alert.
Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is also expected over South Coastal Andhra Pradesh and coastal Rayalaseema on Sunday. Gale-force winds reaching 70–80 kmph, gusting to 90 kmph, are expected along and off the North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts until Sunday morning, with very rough to high sea conditions persisting.
Fishing operations remain totally suspended across the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and South Andhra Pradesh until December 1, authorities said.
Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam (Puducherry), and Rayalaseema are under a prolonged thunderstorm and lightning alert from Friday through December 2.
In Karnataka, South Interior Karnataka is expected to be affected on Saturday and Sunday, while North Interior Karnataka is under a similar warning for Sunday.
Additionally, the IMD noted that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are likely to experience thunderstorms on Friday, accompanied by gusty winds reaching 30–40 kmph.
(With agency inptus)