Coastal Odisha receives heavy rain as severe cyclone 'Dana' approaches

NEW DELHI: Coastal Odisha faced heavy rain and strong winds on Thursday morning due to the severe cyclonic storm 'Dana', according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The cyclone is expected to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port early on Friday, with wind speeds reaching up to 120 kilometers per hour.

The storm moved north-northwest at 12 kmph over the past six hours. At 5:30 AM, it was located about 260 km southeast of Paradip, 290 km south-southeast of Dhamra, and 350 km south of Sagar Island in West Bengal.

The IMD stated, "It is very likely to move northwestwards and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamra during midnight of 24th to morning of 25th October as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph."

Paradip recorded 62 mm of rainfall, the highest in the region, while Rajnagar in Kendrapara district received 24 mm in the last four hours, the IMD reported.

Moderate to intense rain and thunderstorms, with wind speeds of 30-40 kmph, are forecast for parts of Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, and Puri districts during the day.

Manorama Mohanty, Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, said, "The severe cyclonic storm is likely to re-curve slightly towards west and west-southwards after landfall, triggering rain in southern Odisha around October 26. However, the landfall and wind speed predictions remain unchanged."

Officials reported that roads are blocked in some areas of Balasore, Bhadrak, Bhitarkanika, and Puri due to uprooted trees caused by strong winds.
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