[NewsX Live Description NewsX, News Not Noise, delves into national and international issues with in-depth analysis, more than just daily headlines, from India since Oct 2008]
Deadly Ditwah goes on a rampage. Sri Lanka's tragic destruction. Southern India on highest alert. Tracking 2025's year end cyclone. Why has Ditwah caused huge destruction? Hello and welcome to Xplained by NewsX with me Vinit Malhotra. Today we talk about cyclone Ditwah, the tropical cyclone that has claimed hundreds of lives, destroying critical infrastructure in Sri Lanka, and is currently making its way into India. Let's begin from the start.
Cyclones don't just appear. They brew in the cauldron of the tropics. Ditwah was born on the 25th of November 2025 as a well-marked low pressure area in the southwest bay of Bengal just offshore from Sri Lanka's southeastern coast.
By 6 p.m. on the 26th of November the Indian meteorological department tracked it as a depression noting that a low pressure area persists over the southwest bay of Bengal, South Sri Lanka and adjoining equatorial Indian Ocean.
1.08
What followed was a rapid escalation. The cyclone became a deep depression by midnight on the 26th and by dawn became a full cyclonic storm christened Ditwah.
This is the fourth named storm of the 2025 North Indian Ocean season. A post monsoon monster in a basin that spawns 75% of our regional cyclones due to its funnel-shaped geography and warm ocean eddies. Let's talk about the cyclone's harrowing trail from island to mainland.
Well, Ditwah made its grim debut on Sri Lanka's eastern shores around the 27th of November, slamming into districts like Batikala and Triikumali with winds gusting to 80 km/h. Here's a picture from Trinumali as cyclone Ditwah hit Sri Lanka. You see the coast hit by high tidal waves serving as a trailer to what soon would destroy the whole district.
Tin Kumalik was soon flooded fully submerging three-storied houses leaving just the attics for residents to breathe in. The Sri Lankan Air Force rescued 33 stranded from the region. However, several remain missing still.
2.24
The cyclone lingered in Sri Lanka, slow as a predator, dumping over 300 mm of rain in 24 hours. By 28th of November, it centered just 30 km southwest of Trinumali. It carved north northwestern path across the islands heartland, eastern and central provinces first, then northwest towards Jaffna.
On your screens is a picture from a city in Jaffna and after the cyclone left the coast of Sri Lanka where areas close to the city have not experienced any major flood damage. However, most parts of the district are still underwater with several low-lying areas and villages remaining flooded after 2 days of heavy rain.
3.06
On your screens is a video from a village in the same district where massive floods triggered by cyclone Ditwah washed away a whole road disrupting key connectivity and leaving hundreds stranded. Heavy rains turned rivers like the Kilani into raging torrents triggering landslides in Candi and floods in Colombo's outskirts. Flights have been diverted from Madraniki International 15 in one go to Indian hubs like Tivandrum and as it bridged the 100 kilometer gap to India, Ditwah weakened slightly from sheer, but retained its moisture laden punch.
In Sri Lanka the toll is catastrophic. 159 confirmed dead as of this hour with 191 still missing in the rubble and receding floods. It started with 46 on the th, landslides claiming most in the east and central hills. And by the 29th, it surged to pass 123, then 132 as central Candy saw fresh slides submerging roads.
4.12
Over 15,000 homes have been destroyed, 44,000 to 78,000 displaced into shelters, half a million affected across 25 districts. President Dissan declared a state of emergency yesterday. International aid has poured in including India's operation saga bandu. 21 tons of relief via Indian air force seat 76 and ILs plus the NDRF teams.
The severe cyclonic storm has now made its way to India lashing down on Tamil Nadu killing at least three so far. Dawn broke on the 30th with Ditto edging northwards at a crawling 5 km per hour speed. its position astones throw from the coast.
gale force winds ramped up gusting to battering monsters that clawed at Marina Beach in Chennai and flooded Romesh's low-lying streets. This is where the cyclone first kissed Indian soil, not with a roar, but a relentless downpour. Red alerts screamed across the Koramandal coast, Lakudalor, the Naga Patnam, the Mila, Duturay and Viluparam districts where isolated bursts dumped 200 mm in mere hours turning patty fields into lakes and salt pans into salty graveyards.
5.38
Rain triggered by cyclone Ditwah which entered the open sea inching towards Tamil Nadu coast lashed the coastal areas in the cavi delta districts. Nagapatnam felt the first brutal lash. Winds peaking at 70 kilometers per hour, whipping through fishing hamlets and uprooting thatched roofs while 150 mm of rain in 12 hours swelled the Kuryarupur river into a muddy beast.
Nearby the Veda Ray, that sacred coastal town shuttered under squalls, its temples trembling as waves breached sea walls. By noon on the 30th, it skimmed within kilometers of the Puduchari coast. Winds easing slightly, but still ferocious enough to ground 54 flights at Chennai's airport and divert more from Tvandram.
Purucher's port hoisted cyclone warning signal number two. Winds were imminent as rough seas chewed at the promenade and 100 mm of rain turned arterial roads into rivers. Chennai south of the eye yet squarely in the storm's flank reeled from 70 km per hour gusts at Marina Beach where crowds defied warnings to witness the spectacle only to scatter as breakers crashed 4 m high.
7.05
Let's take a look at some of the most dramatic visuals coming in from Tamil Nadu. On your screens are the visuals as rough sea and strong winds at the Marina beach in Chennai due to the impact of the cyclone Ditwah. As for the latest update, Ditvpa lies over southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Tamil Nadu Purueri coast moved nearly northwards with speed.
Authorities have confirmed that the minimum distance of the center of the cyclone from north Tamil Nadu Puducherry coast is about 70 km and it is very likely to move nearly northwards parallel to the north Tamil Nadu Purue coast during next 24 hours.
Shifting our focus to Naga Patnam which is one of the most affected districts in Tamil Nadu. The Mananga Konam River has been flooded cutting off the road leading to the Kupulam village. More than 199 acres of paddy fields in this village have been completely destroyed and submerged causing severe damage to agricultural prospects.
8.14
Meanwhile, a senior scientist at the Indian Meteorological Department has spoken on the impact of cyclone Ditwah in India. Listen in.
*It will be there actually not exactly vanish from this area but it will be there till one first morning as a depression and after first also after becoming a depression it will be impacting the south Andhra Pradesh coast and that area. So today and as well as tomorrow it will be impacting that north Tamil Nadu as well as South Andhra Pradesh. And this strong wind will gradually decrease and then by evening time it will become it will be the squally wind.
9.14
But thereafter it will be there and rainfall mainly that extremely heavy rainfall will be there over Tamil Nadu northern Tamil Nadu coastal air belt and heavy to very heavy rainfall will be there also south coastal*
Well strong winds and rough sea conditions have been witnessed in Tamil Nadu's capital city as cyclone Ditwah moves closer. On your screens are more visuals from Marina Beach where the strong winds can be seen blowing away tents hitting trees with a strong impact. This path from Sri Lanka's battered east to India's vigilant north spans the subcontinental sorrow. A reminder that cyclones like Ditto don't conquer borders. They blur them in deluge and despair.
As the storm wears due north after today, dissipating into the bay's embrace, our recovery begins. But the winds whisper a warning. In a warming world, these monsters grow bolder. All right, we take a short break on that note. Be right back.
Deadly Ditwah goes on a rampage. Sri Lanka's tragic destruction. Southern India on highest alert. Tracking 's year end cyclone. Why has Ditto caused huge destruction?
No comments:
Post a Comment