Cyclone Dana: Low-Pressure Area Over Bay Of Bengal Likely To Intensify Into Cyclonic Storm By October 23

A ‘Low-Pressure Area’ formed over the Bay of Bengal and adjoining North Andaman Sea is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23 and reach the Odisha-West Bengal coasts by October 24, bringing heavy rainfall and gusty winds in both states, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.

While the exact location of the landfall is yet to be ascertained, two major weather models, IMD-GFS and ECMWF, predicted that the system may make landfall in Puri, according to reports.

“It (cyclonic circulation) is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a depression by the 22nd October morning and into a cyclonic storm by 23rd October 2024 over east-central Bay of Bengal. Thereafter, it is very likely to move northwestwards and reach the northwest Bay of Bengal off the Odisha-West Bengal coasts by the 24th of October morning,” the IMD said.

The weather department asked the fishermen near the sea to return to the coasts by Monday. The system, if intensified into a cyclone, will be named ‘Dana,’ given by Qatar in a list of names of tropical cyclones.

Rain Alert For West Bengal, Odisha

Kolkata’s Meteorological office said West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas are likely to experience very heavy rainfall, while Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, and Jhargram may see heavy rain between October 23 and 24.

On October 25, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in one or two places over Gangetic West Bengal, the department said in an official statement.

In Odisha, IMD has issued a red alert for heavy rain in Puri, Khurda, Ganjam and Jagatsinghpur districts from Oct 23. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said, “The special relief commissioner is in touch with all district administrations and asked them to stay on alert. NDRF, ODRAF and fire services teams have been kept ready.”

Assuring the safety of the people, Odisha Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) DK Singh outlined the state’s goal of achieving ‘Zero Casualty’ to ensure no loss of life or livestock during the calamity. The state administration also held a review meeting on Sunday.