A deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Sri Lanka Coast has intensified into a cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday. The weather department said in a 3:40 pm bulletin that Cyclone Ditwah moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 15 kmph during the past six hours, and lay centered at 11:30 am over the same region close to east of Pottuvil (Sri Lanka), about 90 km south-southeast of Batticaloa (Sri Lanka), 120 km northeast of Hambantota (Sri Lanka), 200 km south-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 610 km southsoutheast of Puducherry (India) and 700 km south-southeast of Chennai (India).
The cyclone will move close to the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh on the morning of November 30.
“It is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards across the southwest Bay of Bengal & adjoining Sri Lanka coast and reach over the southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of 30th November,” the IMD bulletin read.
Cyclone Ditwah: Rainfall warning for Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
In view of the approaching cyclonic storm Ditwah, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts for heavy to very heavy rainfall.
In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at many places on 28th and 29th November, 2025, with extremely heavy rainfall possible at isolated places.
In Coastal Andhra Pradesh, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places on 30th November.
Rayalaseema in southern Andhra Pradesh may also experience heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places on 30th November.
Cyclone Senyar latest update
Meanwhile, the IMD also said that Cyclone Senyar, which had earlier weakened into a deep depression over the Strait of Malacca, moved nearly eastwards with a speed of 12 kmph in the past six hours and further lost intensity to become a depression. As per the 3:40 pm bulletin, the depression lay centred at 11:30 am over the same region, about 210 km south-southwest of George Town (Malaysia), 340 km east-southeast of Kuta Makmur (Indonesia), 850 km east-southeast of Nancowry (Nicobar Islands) and 990 km southeast of Car Nicobar (Nicobar Islands).
“It is very likely to move nearly eastwards and weaken further into a well-marked low-pressure area during the next 12 hours,” the IMD said in its special bulletin (read here).