Cyclone Dana to hit Bengal-Odisha coasts in 48 hours; schools shut, evacuations on as heavy rain predicted
Cyclone Dana is anticipated to impact the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal between Puri and Sagar Islands on Thursday, October 24, pouring severe rain on both states for three days.
PTC News Desk: Cyclone Dana is anticipated to impact the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal between Puri and Sagar Islands on Thursday, October 24, pouring severe rain on both states for three days.
The well-marked low-pressure region over the Bay of Bengal strengthened into a depression on Tuesday morning as it headed towards the eastern coast, with a high chance of developing into a severe cyclonic storm, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
"It is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23, 2024, over east-central Bay of Bengal," IMD reported Tuesday.
On Monday, the weather agency warned fishermen to avoid the sea between October 23 and 25. They cautioned that wind speeds along the Odisha-West Bengal shores might reach 60 km/h on Wednesday, rising to 100-110 km/h with gusts up to 120 km/h from the night of October 24 to the morning of October 25.
On October 24, the IMD issued a red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm), with isolated extremely heavy rainfall (above 20 cm), thunderstorms, and lightning in Odisha's Puri, Khurda, Ganjam, and Jagatsinghpur districts.
The IMD has also warned about flash floods, waterlogging in low-lying areas, inundation of agricultural fields, mudslides and landslides in vulnerable mountains, road damage, and the possibility of wall collapses in at-risk homes.
The weather department has expected heavy rain for West Bengal on October 23, notably in the coastal districts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur, as well as North and South 24 Parganas.