Fishermen return to shore and move their boats high up a beach in Puri in view of the impending storm.
Cyclone Dana, which is expected to make landfall in West Bengal and Odisha on Thursday, has forced the closure of schools and the evacuation of beaches ahead of Diwali and Kali Puja. Cyclonic storm Dana is forming in a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal. A deep depression will form on Tuesday, eventually developing into the cyclone on Wednesday. On the intervening night of October 24 and October 25, Cyclone Dana is likely to make landfall between Puri and Sagar Island.
Schools Closed, Tourists Asked To Leave
The Odisha administration has ordered Puri beaches to be evacuated by Wednesday. The Odisha government has also requested tourists to leave Puri in view of the impending cyclone. The Centre held a meeting with the chief secretaries of Bengal and Odisha to prepare for the situation. According to the Meteorological Department, the low-pressure area has moved over East-Central Bay of Bengal and the adjoining North Andaman Sea off the coast of Odisha and West Bengal. It is positioned as a well-defined low-pressure area over the west-northwest and east-central Bay of Bengal.
In Odisha, schools in the districts of Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Angul, Khardah, Nayagarh, and Cuttack will remain closed from October 23-25.
According to the India Meteorological Department, the low-pressure system is expected to move west-northwest this time. It may then develop into a deep depression by Tuesday morning itself. It will then become a cyclonic storm over the east-central Bay of Bengal by Wednesday. After that, the cyclone will gather strength and move towards the northwest.
As it makes landfall, the wind speed may reach up to speeds of 100 kmph to 110 kmph. Light to moderate rain may occur in most parts of South Bengal on this day. Somewhere there will be rain with thunder. Several districts including East and West Medinipur, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Jhargram will receive heavy rain. The rest of the districts of South Bengal may receive heavy rainfall at one or two places.
Bengal capital Kolkata is also likely to receive heavy rainfall on October 24 and 25. According to the IMD, the minimum temperature is likely to drop 24oC over the two days. On Tuesday, the minimum temperature is likely to hover around 26oC, with the skies remaining partly cloudy.
Warning For Fishermen
The IMD has issued a warning to fishermen, advising them “not to venture deep into the Andaman Sea till October 22, and the Bay of Bengal till October 25”. The IMD said: “Sea condition is likely to be rough to very rough from October 23 evening… Fishermen out at sea are advised to return to coasts.”
As many as 25 teams of the NDRF are on standby to deal with emergencies arising due to Cyclone Dana.