Cyclone ‘Dana’ has intensified and is advancing toward the West Bengal coast. As of now, it is located only 310 kilometers away from Sagar Island. The Alipore Meteorological Department has issued a fresh alert, warning coastal residents of the dangers posed by the cyclone. The department’s regional director, Somnath Dutta, addressed the media, stating that the cyclone could bring down trees and dry branches, and there is a risk of thatched roofs and tin sheds being blown away by the storm.
The gusty winds accompanying ‘Dana’ are likely to cause damage to crops like banana and papaya, and large areas may experience power outages due to the storm’s impact. Both paved and unpaved roads could face damage, and low-lying areas in the cities may become waterlogged due to heavy rainfall.
The weather department is continuously monitoring the cyclone’s movement from Paradip, Odisha. ‘Dana’ is currently moving at a speed of 12 kilometers per hour in a north-northwest direction from the east-central Bay of Bengal. IMD has predicted light to moderate rainfall across all districts of Gangetic West Bengal due to the cyclone’s effects. However, heavy to extremely heavy rainfall warnings have been issued in some regions, including both East and West Midnapore and South 24 Parganas, where a red alert has been declared.
In addition, heavy rainfall (7-20 cm) is expected in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, and Jhargram over the next two days. Gusty winds, clocking speeds of 100 to 110 kilometers per hour, are predicted to hit the coastal areas starting Thursday evening, with the strongest winds likely to blow along the East Midnapore coast until Friday morning.
The cyclone is expected to make landfall between Odisha’s Bhitarkanika and Dhamra regions late Thursday night or early Friday morning. The wind speeds during the landfall are estimated to range between 100 and 110 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 120 kmph.
The IMD also mentioned that by late Thursday evening, the storm will reach its peak wind speed of 125 kmph. Around 11:30 PM on Thursday night, ‘Dana’ will be very close to the coastline, and its winds will continue to lash the region at 100-110 kmph until early Friday morning. After that, the cyclone will gradually lose strength and weaken into a regular cyclonic storm by Friday afternoon. The wind speeds are expected to drop to 70-80 kmph as the storm loses its intensity.
The IMD has warned fishermen against venturing into the sea, as the waters will remain turbulent until Friday afternoon, with high waves and dangerous conditions expected to persist.