Bhubaneswar: The deep depression, which formed over the Bay of Bengal had intensified into a cyclonic storm and was heading towards the Odisha coast, the Centre for Environment and Climate (CEC) of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University (SOA) here said.
The system lay centered about 530 km south-east of Paradip on Wednesday morning and was moving in a north-westerly direction. It was expected to cross the Kendrapada-Bhadrak coast close to Rajnagar in the afternoon or evening of Thursday, the CEC bulletin said.
The cyclone’s impact is likely to be high in Balasore and Bhadrak districts ,where the wind speed will be 80 kmph or more. The districts will start experiencing strong wind from around 11 pm of Wednesday night. The wind speed may reach 100 to 120 kmph in the forenoon of Thursday.
In Bhubaneswar city and nearby areas, the wind speed may be in the range of 45 to 60 kmph, while it will be in the range of 75 to 90 kmph in Jajpur and Mayurbhanj districts and 35-45 kmph in Ganjam district during the landfall.
Light rain is expected from Wednesday in the coastal region but the districts of Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Khurda and Dhenkanal districts will experience heavy to very heavy rainfall from Thursday morning, it added.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone ‘Dana’ over Eastcentral Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred at 14.30 hrs, over the Eastcentral & adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal, about 460 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 490 km south-southeast of Dhamara (Odisha) and 540 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal). It is very likely to move northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over Northwest Bay of Bengal by early morning of October 24 and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island close to Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port, a stretch of about 70 km, during night of October 24 and October 25 morning with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph.
Also Read: Cyclone ‘Dana’: Rain, Wind & Storm Surge To Peak On Oct 24 Night In Odisha, Says IMD DG
Several parts of the state in the coastal region started getting rainfall under its impact on Wednesday afternoon. “Radar data from Paradip shows the outer bands of Cyclone ‘Dana’ have reached Bhadrak and Kendrapada,” senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) scientist Umashankar Das posted on X
Das clarified that although the cyclone remains about 480 km offshore, its outer bands, consisting of clouds, are influencing local weather.
Also Read: IMD Confirms Landfall Of Cyclone ‘Dana’ Along Odisha Coast; Check District-Wise Wind Warning