India, Nov. 30 -- Heavy rains lashed across parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as Cyclone Ditwah inched closer towards the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coastline on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and nearby south Andhra Pradesh coasts.

Normal life remained disrupted in the coastal towns of Rameswaram and Nagapattinam as heavy rain flooded several low-lying areas. But when will the cyclonic storm finally make landfall?

Follow latest updates related to the cyclone here.

The storm over the southwest Bay of Bengal is now expected to avoid landfall. The IMD has said the system is likely to move northwards along the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts over the next 24 hou...