Cyclone Ditwah: Red Alert for Tirupati, Prakasam and Nellore

Visakhapatnam: A red alert has been sounded for Tirupati, Prakasam and Nellore districts cyclone Ditwah was expected to weaken into a depression in the early hours of Monday.

Moderate rainfall accompanied by winds lashed parts of the Nellore and Tirupati districts as Ditwah over the Bay of Bengal inched closer to the eastern coastal regions. The state government set up control rooms in vulnerable districts to monitor and manage the situation arising from the cyclone, which may trigger heavy rainfall.

An IMD release said, “Rainfall activity is expected to intensify between Sunday night and Monday morning in parts of the Rayalaseema as well as south coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh”

Parts of the Tirupati, YSR Kadapa, Annamayya and Bapatla districts till Monday morning while parts of the Chittoor, Sri Sathya Sai, Anantapur, Nandyal, Palnadu, Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari and Konaseema districts would experience isolated heavy rainfall, the release said.

The cyclone is expected to move parallel along the northern Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry.

Though the rainfall activity might subside from Monday, the weather monitor forecast heavy rainfall in parts of Chittoor, Tirupati, Nellore, Annamayya, YSR Kadapa, Prakasam, Palnadu, Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari and Konaseema districts on Monday.

“Squally wind speed reaching 45-55kmph gusting to 65kmph is likely to prevail. It is very likely to decrease, becoming squally weather with the wind speed reaching 35-45kmph, gusting to 55kmph, from evening along and off south coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday,” IMD said.

Fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea till December 2.