Chennai Under Red Alert as Cyclone Ditwah Brings Torrential Rain; Schools Shut

Chennai has been placed under a red alert as the remnant of Cyclonic Storm Ditwah—now a deep depression over the west-central and southwest Bay of Bengal—continues to unleash extremely heavy rainfall across northern Tamil Nadu. The IMD has also issued a red alert for Thiruvallur as the system moves close to the north Tamil Nadu–south Andhra Pradesh coast.

According to the IMD, Chennai is likely to see maximum temperatures around 27°C and minimum temperatures near 23°C on Tuesday.

Cyclone Ditwah: System Expected to Weaken in 12 Hours

The deep depression is currently located about 35 km off the north Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coast.

The IMD said the weather system is likely to recurve slowly southwestwards and weaken into a depression within the next 12 hours, though intense rainfall is expected to continue.

Chennai Weather Forecast: Heavy Rain Through Mid-Week

Chennai and Thiruvallur are forecast to receive extremely heavy rain this week.

Here’s the updated forecast:

• December 3: Cloudy skies with heavy rain; day temperature around 29°C, night around 24°C.
• December 4–7: Partly cloudy conditions with consistent moderate rain or thunderstorms, often accompanied by lightning. Daytime temperatures will remain near 30°C, while night temperatures will range between 25°C and 26°C.

Schools and Colleges Closed in Three Districts

In the wake of Cyclone Ditwah's large-scale rain, the government of Chennai, Thiruvallur, and Kanchipuram has given a day off to all the educational institutions on December 2.

The officials mentioned that the announcement was made as a protective measure because of the possibility of the heavy rain, flooding, and the disturbance of the transportation system. The notified measures for the people living in the area are to keep indoors, do not travel unless it is necessary, and follow the warnings from the state government and disaster management agencies.