Cyclone Ditwah has weakened but continues to lash Chennai with heavy rain. Get the IMD coastal flood warning, details on NDRF deployment, and essential safety tips for residents facing persistent waterlogging and the risk of storm surge in North Tamil Nadu.
Chennai Cyclone Ditwah Flood Warning IMD
The severe weather threat gripping the North Tamil Nadu coastline remains critical, despite the cyclonic system, Ditwah, having weakened into a deep depression. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) continues to maintain a high state of preparedness across the region, issuing a definitive coastal flood warning as the system stubbornly lingers just kilometers off the Chennai coast. This slow-moving atmospheric phenomenon means that while the core wind speeds have dropped, the continuous moisture feed is sustaining widespread and extremely heavy rainfall, turning the focus from cyclonic winds to severe waterlogging and infrastructural peril.
The impact of Cyclone Ditwah has already been devastating in neighboring Sri Lanka, which experienced fatal landslides and mass destruction. This context underscores the gravity of the IMD forecast for the Indian coastline. Although the system is now unlikely to make a traditional landfall, its slow, parallel movement along the shore ensures that districts like Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu remain under threat of receiving over 20 centimeters of rain in short periods—a quantity warranting the localized Red Alert Status and demanding immediate evacuation from low-lying areas.
