IMD’s Mrutunjay Mohapatra said the cyclone will gradually weaken on Friday and move deeper in the state, triggering heavy rains in most places.
Authorities remained on alert as the landfall of ‘severe’ Cyclone Dana on the Odisha coast began on Thursday night and continued into the early hours of Friday. The coastal districts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Balasore witnessed sudden increase in wind speed which reached 100 kmph to 110 kmph and extremely heavy rain. Similar conditions were also witnessed in West Bengal.
The storm moved north-northwest at a speed of 15 kmph over the past six hours before making landfall between Bhitarkanika in the Kendrapara district and Dhamra in Bhadrak, with wind speeds of around 110 kmph, a senior IMD official said.
IMD DG Mrutunjay Mohapatra said the system will continue to remain as the severe cyclonic storm will gradually weaken on Friday and move deeper in the state, triggering heavy rains in most places.
Here are the updates on Cyclone Dana:
Dana’s Impact Minimised By Preparation, But Cyclones Getting Worse
Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world heats up due to climate change driven by burning fossil fuels.
Warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapour, which provides additional energy for storms, strengthening winds. A warming atmosphere also allows storms to hold more water, boosting heavy rainfall.
But better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced death tolls.
Odisha Raj Bhavan’s Runs Cyclone Helpline
In view of Cyclone Dana, the Odisha Raj Bhavan is running a 24×7 control room with the phone numbers 033-22001641 and E-mail ID emergency.danarajbhavan@gmail.com.
Odisha’s Worst Cyclone Dates Back To 1999
Odisha’s worst cyclone in recent years was in 1999, which raged for 30 hours and killed 10,000 people.
Severe storms lash coastal cities in India and neighbouring Bangladesh during the cyclone season from April to December each year, causing extensive damage.
