Chennai reels under heavy rain as Ditwah sits close to coast; IMD warns of more intense showers

Chennai continued to reel under heavy rain and stormy weather on Tuesday even as Cyclone Ditwah weakened into a depression just off the Tamil Nadu coast, prompting widespread disruptions, school closures, and crop damage across several districts.

According to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) 10:30 am bulletin, the remnant of Cyclone Ditwah has weakened into a depression and is now centred about 40 km east-southeast of Chennai and nearly 25 km from the north Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coast. The system is moving slowly southwestwards and is expected to maintain its intensity for the next 12 hours before weakening into a well-marked low-pressure area.

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Heavy rain to continue over north Tamil Nadu

The IMD has forecast light to moderate rain at most places, with heavy to extremely heavy rain at isolated pockets of north coastal Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. Heavy rain is also likely at isolated places on Wednesday.

Neighbouring Puducherry, south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, and Kerala are also in line for moderate rain with isolated heavy spells.

Chennai has witnessed incessant rain since morning, with several key roads submerged and traffic forced to slow to a crawl. District Collectors in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu declared a holiday for all schools and colleges, while major universities postponed scheduled examinations.

Strong winds, rough sea; fishing suspended

Wind speeds along the Tamil Nadu–Puducherry–south Andhra coasts are expected to stay at 45–55 kmph, gusting to 65 kmph till Tuesday evening, gradually easing to 35–45 kmph by Wednesday morning.

Sea conditions in the southwest and westcentral Bay of Bengal, as well as the Gulf of Mannar and the Comorin region, will remain “very rough to rough” till Wednesday morning. The IMD has ordered the total suspension of fishing operations along these coasts until conditions improve.

IMD impact advisory

The weather office has warned of the following impacts in north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and parts of south Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday:

• Falling tree branches and uprooting of small trees
• Damage to standing banana, papaya and horticulture crops
• Waterlogging in low-lying areas and disruption of traffic
• Localised flooding, mudslides and poor visibility at times

Authorities have urged residents to remain indoors, avoid flooded stretches, and stay alert for further advisories as the system continues to hover close to the coastline.