Tropical Cyclone Ditwah - Nov 2025

Tropical storm DITWAH made landfall over the central-eastern coast of Sri Lanka on 27 November just before 12:00 (UTC), with maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h. After that, it continued northward inland, and on 28 November at 6:00, its centre was located over northern Sri Lanka, with maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h. As of 28 November, media report 31 fatalities, 14 people missing, around 1,790 displaced, approximately 4,000 affected people and nearly 400 damaged houses across the island due to floods and landslides. DITWAH is expected to continue northward over the Bay of Bengal on 28-29 November, slightly weakening. After that, it is forecast to pass very close to the Pondicherry territory, south-eastern India in the morning of 30 November as a tropical depression. (ECHO, 28 Nov 2025)

Latest assessments continue to reveal the extensive scale of Cyclone Ditwah’s impact, with widespread flooding and landslides deepening humanitarian needs across the country. Updated government figures report 366 deaths and 367 people missing, with 1,151,776 people (316,366 families) affected across all 25 districts. The cyclone has left 218,526 people from 61,612 families sheltering in 1,564 government-run safety centres.

The highest numbers of affected people are recorded in Gampaha, Colombo and Puttalam, each exceeding 170,000 people. Numerous landslides have been reported in parts of the central highlands, particularly around Kandy and Gampola, with new displacement continuing as of 30 November. (UN RC Sri Lanka, 1 Dec 2025)

As of 2 December, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) reports 410 fatalities, 336 missing individuals, and 233,015 people displaced to 1,441 safety centres. A total of 1,466,615 people have been affected across 25 districts. Numerous landslides have been reported in the Kandy and Gampola districts. Several main roads have been closed, and power outages persist in the most affected areas. (ECHO, 2 Dec 2025)

Updated government figures report 474 deaths and 356 people missing, with 1,586,329 people (448,817 families) affected across all 25 districts. The cyclone, which moved across Sri Lanka on 28 November, has left 201,875 people from 53,758 families sheltering in 1,385 government-run safety centres. A total 41,329 houses have been partially or fully damaged.The highest numbers of affected people are recorded in Puttalam, Colombo, Gampaha and Mannar, reflecting widespread inundation across western, north-western and northern districts. With over 200 landslides in recent days, landslide alerts were extended until 3 December across several areas, including the central highland districts of Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Badulla, where significant loss of life and structural damage have already occurred. (UN RC Sri Lanka, 3 Dec 2025)

Emerging data confirms the growing scale of Cyclone Ditwah’s impact. Updated reports confirm 618 deaths and 209 people missing, and 2,078,436 people (583,030 families) affected nationwide. Widespread destruction is reported across 22 districts, with the North-western and Western provinces among the hardest hit. The largest affected populations are in Gampaha (362,664) Puttalam (347,211), and Colombo (328,846). The highest number of reported deaths are in the central highland regions, particularly Kandy (232), Nuwara Eliya (89) and Badulla (83). Shelter needs remain significant, and education services have been disrupted with schools damaged or used as shelters. A total of 75,192 houses have been partially or fully damaged, with 100,124 people from 29,874 families continuing to shelter in 990 government-run safety centres. This represents a reduction compared to a peak of approx. 233,000 persons in safety shelters on 2 December, as some have started to return home or seek alternative accommodations. (UN RC Sri Lanka, 6 Dec 2025)

As of 8 December, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) reports 635 deaths and 192 missing persons, including 81 in the Kandy district and 39 in the Kegalle district. Additionally, 61,861 people remain displaced across 690 government and community-run shelters. The storm has affected more than 2.18 million people across 25 districts, destroying 5,325 houses and partially damaging 81,163 others. (ECHO, 8 Dec 2025)

According to the Disaster Management Center (DMC) reports, as of 12 December, the death toll stands at 639 fatalities. DMC also reports 210 missing people, nearly 84,700 evacuated people across 866 active safety centres and a total of approximately 1.7 million affected people. The same source also reports 5,588 fully damaged and 87,496 partially damaged houses in the country. (ECHO, 12 Dec 2025)

The Disaster Management Center (DMC) reports, as of 15 December, 643 fatalities. The DMC also reports 183 still missing people, approximately 70,050 evacuated people across 762 active safety centres and a total of around 1.62 million currently affected people. (ECHO, 15 Dec 2025)

As of 19 December, the government reported 643 casualties, 183 people still missing, more than 66,000 people are residing still in the safety centre. Damage to houses remain a key driver of humanitarian needs. As of 17th December, 101,055 houses partially and 6,288 fully are damaged. Many families returning to their communities are living in partially damaged homes or in makeshift conditions, increasing exposure to weather, health risks, and protection concerns. [...] Approximately 1,185 schools and 2,720 preschools affected by flooding, severe winds, and landslides urgently require essential teaching and learning equipment, furniture, and minor repairs to enable safe reopening. [...] Livelihoods have been severely disrupted, especially among households reliant on subsistence farming, fisheries, daily wage labour, and small businesses. More than 106,000 hectares of paddy have been damaged during the Maha season, which typically supplies over 70% of annual rice production. (UN RC Sri Lanka, 19 Dec 2025)

As of 31 December 2025, the DMC identified a total of 355,446 affected individuals. Central (118,550; 33%), Uva (90,127; 25%) and North Western (87,232; 25%) Provinces reported the largest number of affected individuals. Badulla District reported the largest figure of affected individuals (90,127; 25%), followed by Puttalam (87,232; 25%) and Nuwara Eliya (69,039; 19%). An estimated 205,238 individuals remained displaced due to the cyclone, mainly in the Central Province (118,550; 58%) and Sabaragamuwa (39,411; 19%). Nuwara Eliya District reported 34 per cent of displaced individuals (69,039), followed by Kegalle (39,205; 19%) and Badulla (38,257; 19%). (IOM, 3 Jan 2026)

As of 25 January 2026, the Disaster Management Centre reports 649 deaths and 173 missing persons, with 6,018 houses fully destroyed and 108,879 partially damaged. [...] 85 Safety shelters remain in operation, hosting 6,680 individuals, while 165,884 individuals are reported to be staying with relatives/host families. This displacement is largely concentrated in the estate sector, specifically in Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts, where needs remain acute. (UNFPA, 30 Jan 2026)

As of 25 January 2026, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) recorded 1,933 houses fully damaged and 17,350 partially damaged in Kandy, compared with 176 fully damaged and 2,539 partially damaged houses reported on 3 December. [...] Kandy is estimated to be the hardest-hit district nationally, with direct physical damages estimated at USD $689 million, primarily attributable to flooding and, to a lesser extent, landslides. (IOM, 15 Feb 2026)