While the weather system in Strait of Malacca which intensified and became Cyclone ‘Senyar’ moved away from the Indian coast, another low-pressure area over southwest Bay of Bengal has turned into a cyclonic storm - ‘Ditwah’ - with its impact expected on Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coast by November 30, according to the IMD.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in the early hours of Thursday Cyclone Senyar lay 850 km southeast of Car Nicobar - northernmost island of the Nicobar Islands - and was expected to weaken into a depression by evening.
Another weather system, however, parallelly brewed over southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of southeast Sri Lanka and Equatorial Indian Ocean, according to the IMD.
Cyclone ‘Ditwah’ forms
In its latest X post, IMD said Cyclone Ditwah was formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal near and lay close to Pottuvil - 700 km SSE of Tamil Nadu's Chennai.
The system will move north-northwest (NNW) and reach off north Tamil Nadu–Puducherry–south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early November 30, IMD said.
The cyclonic storm is named Cyclone ‘Ditwah’, a name submitted by Yemen, according to the roster which lists names of tropical cyclones over north Indian Ocean.
{{/usCountry}}The cyclonic storm is named Cyclone ‘Ditwah’, a name submitted by Yemen, according to the roster which lists names of tropical cyclones over north Indian Ocean.
{{/usCountry}}“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,” IMD's X post on 2:56 pm read.
Several Tamil Nadu districts, including Chennai, Nagapattinam, Thiruvallur, Thanjavur etc., were placed under yellow and orange alert by the IMD for November 27, 28 and 29.
‘Rare’ Cyclone Senyar
Cyclonic storm Senyar, meanwhile, emerged in the Strait of Malacca, which is a narrow stretch of water located between Peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, with Singapore at its southeastern end. The northwestern end of the Strait of Malacca opens directly into the Andaman Sea.
Cyclone Senyar moved away from Indian territory and was reportedly headed towards Malaysia and was near Sumatra, according to Malaysian news portal NST, which quoted MetMalaysia director-general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip.
The weather expert and many others termed the Cyclone Senyar ‘rare’ as it is the first time a weather system of thE strength of cyclonic storm has ever been recorded in the Strait of Malacca.
"The last one, a tropical depression, occurred in 2017 and affected Penang. But for a system to reach tropical storm intensity, as we are now seeing near Sumatra, this is a first," Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said.
MetMalaysia has issued a tropical storm alert, with the system detected at latitude 4.5 degrees north and longitude 97.9 degrees east.
"It is moving west-southwest at 9kph with maximum sustained winds of 83kph. Its closest point to Malaysia is approximately 284km southwest of George Town, Penang.
"The intensification is expected to bring continuous heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas to several northern states," read the advisory.
Cyclonic storm Senyar, now expected to impact Northern Sumatra with heavy rains and potential flooding. has been described as 'rarest of rare' by many.
One user on X with the accound handle @chennaisweather said “even if short lived this cyclone remains one of the rarest ever recorded near the Malacca Strait, making this a historic meteorological event.”
“Based on the latest forecast track from the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) could become the first tropical cyclone in recorded history to make landfall in the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia by later midnight, and the second overall — after Typhoon #Vamei in 2001,” another user wrote on X.