Cyclone Dana: Bengal, Odisha on High Alert as IMD Issues Heavy Rainfall Warning

Raipur: The cyclonic circulation over the Andaman Sea on Monday intensified, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. As per reports, the cyclone is all set to lead to heavy rainfall and is expected to make a landfall over West Bengal and Odisha this week.

"Under its influence, a low-pressure area is very likely to form over the east-central Bay of Bengal and the adjoining north Andaman Sea during the next 24 hours. It is very likely to move west north-westwards and intensify into a depression by October 22 morning and into a cyclonic storm by October 23 over the east-central Bay of Bengal," the IMD said in a weather bulletin.

The system is very likely to move northwestwards and reach the northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha -West Bengal coasts by October 24 morning, it said.

“Thereafter, it is very likely to move north-westwards and reach the northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha -West Bengal coasts by October 24 morning."

According to officials, the wind speeds off the Odisha -West Bengal coast are anticipated to read October 23, however, increasing to 120 km/h from October 24 and 25.

Following this, the weather agency urged fishermen in Bengal and Odisha to staff off the coast.

The Odisha government ramped up its preparations for the cyclone. As part of this, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja held a review meeting with senior officials and the district collectors and instructed them to prepare cyclone shelters to accommodate residents if evacuations are necessary.

Furthermore, a yellow alert, forecasting heavy rainfall (7 to 11 cm) and thunderstorms with lightning, has been issued for Odisha 's Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khudra, Ganjam and Gajapati districts for Thursday, October 24.