Cyclone Dana is projected to make landfall along the Odisha-West Bengal coast in India between October 24 and 25.
In Odisha, authorities are urgently working to evacuate approximately 1 million people from various coastal districts ahead of the cyclone's anticipated landfall tonight. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports that Cyclone Dana has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, with wind speeds potentially reaching up to 120 km/h, posing a threat to nearly half of the state's population.
As of 11:30 PM on Wednesday, the IMD indicated that the cyclone was located 330 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 360 km south-southeast of Dhamara (Odisha), and 420 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal). The landfall is expected to occur between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port, both situated in Odisha.
The Met Department has issued warnings of heavy to very heavy rainfall in West Bengal, particularly affecting the districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah, and Hooghly on Thursday and Friday.
In light of the cyclone, Kolkata airport will halt flight operations from 6 PM on Thursday until 9 AM the following day, while Bhubaneswar airport will suspend operations from 5 PM today until 9 AM on Friday. Nearly 200 trains traversing the two neighboring states have been canceled due to the cyclone.
By Wednesday evening, around 300,000 people in Odisha had been evacuated, and West Bengal reported the relocation of over 114,000 individuals to safety shelters.
Source: The Economic Times