Cyclone Ditwah, which skirted Tamil Nadu’s coast without making landfall, triggered widespread heavy rainfall across southern and delta districts on Monday and Tuesday, claiming four lives and causing extensive damage to property and livestock. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran confirmed that two fatalities resulted from electrocution in Mayiladuthurai and Villupuram, while two others died in wall collapses in Thoothukudi and Thanjavur. The deaths occurred despite the cyclone remaining offshore, with its circulation bringing torrential downpours and gusty winds of 60-70 kmph along the coast.

As of Tuesday evening, the system had weakened into a deep depression centred over the southwest Bay of Bengal, about 180 km southeast of Chennai, and is expected to move west-northwestwards, further diminishing by Wednesday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red alerts for isolated extremely heavy rainfall (>20 cm) in Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, and Sivaganga districts, with orange alerts for Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, and Ramanathapuram. Over 500 mm of rain was recorded in isolated pockets of the Cauvery delta in the last 48 hours, triggering flash floods in low-lying areas and inundating agricultural fields.

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The state government reported 1,601 houses and huts damaged, along with the loss of 582 cattle. Several roads remained cut off, and the power supply was disrupted in coastal and delta regions due to fallen trees and electric poles. Chennai and its suburbs received moderate to heavy showers, leading to waterlogging in low-lying localities such as Velachery, Madipakkam, and Tambaram, though the city largely escaped major inundation. Relief camps have been opened in Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, and Cuddalore, sheltering over 4,200 people evacuated from vulnerable coastal hamlets.

Fishermen have been barred from venturing into the sea until December 4, and schools and colleges remained closed for a second consecutive day in eight southern districts. Chief Minister MK Stalin reviewed the situation with district collectors via video conference and directed immediate restoration of essential services. While no formal compensation announcement has been made, officials indicated relief measures under the State Disaster Response Fund will be disbursed once damage assessment is completed.

Though Ditwah spared Tamil Nadu a direct hit, its prolonged proximity has delivered one of the heaviest December rain spells in the delta region in recent years, underscoring the state’s continuing vulnerability to late-season cyclones in a warming Bay of Bengal.

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