Several districts along the south coast and delta of Tamil Nadu faced heavy rain since Friday night as cyclone Ditwah moves closer to the coast. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) forecasted light to moderate rain in many parts of Tamil Nadu on Saturday. A red alert has been issued for Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Villupuram, Chengalpattu, and Puducherry due to possible extremely heavy rainfall. In the last 24 hours ending 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Kodiayakarai in Nagapattinam district recorded very heavy rain of 25 cm. Other parts of Nagapattinam like Vedaranyam (19 cm), Velankanni (13 cm), Tirupoondi, and Nagapattinam town also saw heavy showers. Districts such as Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Thiruvarur, and Mayiladuthurai received moderate to heavy rain. For Sunday, a red alert was declared for Tiruvallur and Ranipet districts. The cyclone was located over the southwest Bay of Bengal, near north Sri Lanka at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday. It was about 190 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 300 km south-southeast of Puducherry, and 400 km south of Chennai, moving north-northwest at 8 kmph. According to RMC, Ditwah will stay near the Tamil Nadu coast and Puducherry, reaching these areas by early Sunday. It is expected to weaken into a deep depression by Sunday evening after moving parallel to the coast. IMD’s tropical cyclone advisory said the cyclone is supported by warm moist air and favorable conditions, allowing it to maintain or slightly increase strength while over the sea. However, as it approaches Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coasts, strong wind shear and dry cold air will weaken it after November 30. An orange alert continues for 14 districts including Chennai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Salem. A yellow alert is active in Vellore, Tirupattur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Namakkal, and Karur districts. The RMC forecasted light to moderate rain in many districts including Chennai, Madurai, Thanjavur, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Kanniyakumari till 1 p.m. on Saturday. In preparation for heavy rain, Chennai increased water discharge from its major reservoirs at 6 a.m. on Saturday: Poondi (2,500 cusecs), Cholavaram (400 cusecs), Chembarambakkam (1,200 cusecs), and Red Hills (1,000 cusecs).