Cyclone Ditwah: Storm weakens into deep depression, more rain expected in Tamil Nadu

CYclone Ditwah weakened into a late great depression o'er the sw quest of Bengal, continued its path northwards at a speed of 10 kmph and is expected to weaken further into a depression by Monday noon, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).The weather agency said the centre of the deep depression was about 50 km from the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts in its update released at 2 am. Notably, IMD had issued a red category warning for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and nearby south Andhra Pradesh coasts.Meanwhile, three people have died in rain-related incidents triggered by Cyclone Ditwah in Tamil Nadu, state revenue and disaster management minister KKSSR Ramachandran said on Sunday.Cyclone Ditwah: Latest updates1. The cyclonic storm over the southwest Bay of Bengal has weakened into a deep depression. As per the IMD’s latest update, it moved northwards at 10 kmph in the past 6 hours and was centred at 11:30 pm on Sunday over the same area.2. The IMD said it was about 90 km south-southeast of Chennai (India), 90 km east-southeast of Puducherry (India), 110 km east-northeast of Cuddalore (India) and 180 km north-northeast of Karaikal (India).3. The deep depression is expected to move nearly northwards along the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts and weaken further into a depression by Monday noon. The IMD added that the system will be positioned over the southwest Bay of Bengal at a minimum distance of about 30 km by Monday morning.4. As the system weakens, heavy to very heavy rain may occur in isolated areas of Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Vellore and Ranipet districts. Light to moderate rain is expected in a few places across Tamil Nadu and the Puducherry and Karaikal region, along with the chance of thunderstorms and lightning in one or two areas, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai.5. The weather office said gale winds of 60-70 kmph, with gusts up to 80 kmph, are likely over the north coastal parts of Tamil Nadu and the Puducherry and Karaikal areas. Squally winds of 55-65 kmph, with gusts up to 75 kmph, are also likely over nearby north coastal Tamil Nadu districts and the south coastal Tamil Nadu region.6. Light to moderate rainfall is likely at most places in south coastal Andhra Pradesh and the Rayalaseema region, with heavy rain at isolated locations. In north coastal Andhra Pradesh, light to moderate rain is expected at most places with isolated heavy rain on Monday. Odisha is also expected to see light to moderate rain at several places and heavy rain in isolated areas of south Odisha.7. On Sunday, Sri Lanka’s disaster agency said the death toll from floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah jumped to 334, with nearly 400 people missing and more than 1.3 million affected across the island.8. The High Commission of India in Sri Lanka said the final group of stranded Indian passengers was evacuated under Operation Sagar Bandhu at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. External affairs minister S Jaishankar said another Indian Air Force aircraft arrived in Colombo on Sunday carrying disaster-response supplies under Operation Sagar Bandhu.Are schools closed today in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry?Several districts in Tamil Nadu had announced the closure of schools and colleges earlier. As of December 1, there is no confirmed information on whether schools will remain closed today. Students are suggested to contact their own institutions for the latest updates.Meanwhile, all private and government-aided institutions across the four regions of Puducherry are closed on Monday (December 1), the union territory’s home and education minister A Namassivayam announced.