While Cyclone Senyar moved out of India’s range, another weather system over the southwest Bay of Bengal intensified into Cyclone Ditwah. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said this new cyclone could affect Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and parts of south Andhra Pradesh by November 30.
Senyar Weakens as It Travels Further
The IMD said early Thursday that Cyclone Senyar was located 850 km southeast of Car Nicobar. It expected Senyar to weaken into a depression by the evening.
Meanwhile, another circulation was developing at the same time over the southwest Bay of Bengal, southeast Sri Lanka, and the Equatorial Indian Ocean.
Cyclone Ditwah Takes Shape
IMD confirmed the formation of Cyclone Ditwah in its latest update on X. The cyclone lay over the southwest Bay of Bengal near Pottuvil, around 700 km south-southeast of Chennai.
The agency said the system would move north-northwest and reach the seas off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and south Andhra Pradesh by early November 30.
The IMD also noted that Yemen proposed the name Ditwah for this cyclone under the approved list of names for North Indian Ocean storms.
IMD wrote on X, “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.”
Alerts Issued in Tamil Nadu
IMD placed several Tamil Nadu districts under yellow and orange alerts for November 27, 28, and 29. The list includes Chennai, Nagapattinam, Thiruvallur, and Thanjavur. The agency warned of heavy rain and strong winds across these areas.
Rare Cyclone Senyar Forms in the Strait of Malacca
Cyclone Senyar formed in the narrow Strait of Malacca, located between Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia’s Sumatra, with Singapore at its southeastern end. This area opens into the Andaman Sea.
Senyar later moved away from India and headed toward Malaysia. Malaysian news portal NST quoted MetMalaysia director-general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip, who confirmed the cyclone’s unusual nature.
Experts called Senyar “rare” because it is the first recorded system in the Strait of Malacca to reach cyclonic storm intensity. Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said, “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.”
Malaysia Issues Storm Alert
MetMalaysia issued a tropical storm alert. The cyclone was detected at latitude 4.5°N and longitude 97.9°E. It was moving west-southwest at 9 kph with maximum sustained winds of 83 kph.
The agency said its nearest point to Malaysia was about 284 km southwest of George Town in Penang. The system may bring heavy rain, strong winds, and rough seas to northern Malaysian states.
A Historic Meteorological Event
Cyclone Senyar may impact northern Sumatra with heavy rain and possible flooding. Many experts described the system as “rarest of rare.”
A user on X wrote, “even if short lived this cyclone remains one of the rarest ever recorded near the Malacca Strait, making this a historic meteorological event.”
Another user noted, “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.”