The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday said that a low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal has intensified into a depression. This may lead to heavy rain and strong winds across parts of South India over the next few days.
In its latest bulletin, the IMD said, “Well-marked low-pressure area over southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of southeast Sri Lanka and Equatorial Indian Ocean intensified into a depression as of 11:30 p.m. on November 26.” The system currently lies over the southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Sri Lanka coast, the department added.
If the system continues to gain strength and develops into a cyclonic storm, it will be named Cyclone Ditwah. The name, suggested by Yemen, is part of a pre-approved list finalised by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the UN ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones. “Ditwah” or “Detwah” refers to a famous lagoon on Socotra island in Yemen.
Location of cyclone
According to the IMD, the depression is currently located around 170 km east of Hambantota in Sri Lanka and about 210 km south-southeast of Batticaloa. Officials noted that this system has formed almost simultaneously with Cyclone Senyar, which recently moved across parts of the Bay of Bengal. Senyar has since travelled away from the region and was centred over northeast Indonesia and the Strait of Malacca as of Wednesday night.
Cyclone Ditwah formed over the SW Bay of Bengal near 6.9°N/81.9°E at 1130 IST today. It lay close to Pottuvil, ~90 km SSE of Batticaloa and ~700 km SSE of Chennai. The system will move NNW and reach off North Tamil Nadu–Puducherry–south AP coasts by early 30 Nov. pic.twitter.com/I8sQbCqbk7
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) November 27, 2025
Possible path and impact
The IMD expects the depression to move in a north-northwest direction over the next few hours while remaining over the southwest Bay of Bengal and nearby Sri Lanka region. It is likely to intensify into a deep depression by Thursday and may further strengthen as it tracks towards the coasts of north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh over the next two days.
If this forecast holds, parts of South India, especially coastal stretches, are likely to see widespread rainfall. The IMD has warned of heavy to very heavy rain (64–204 mm in 24 hours) over northern Tamil Nadu till December 1, with the possibility of extremely heavy spells (over 204 mm in 24 hours) on November 29 and 30.
Orange alert in several districts
An ‘orange’ alert has been issued for November 29 for several coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, including Thiruvallur, Ranipettai, Thiruvannamalai, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur.
In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, southern coastal districts — Prakasam, SPSR Nellore, Anantapuramu, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor — will also remain under an ‘orange’ alert on November 30 as the system approaches the coast. Authorities are advising residents in vulnerable areas to stay updated with official forecasts and be prepared for possible disruptions due to intense rainfall and strong winds.
