National: The India Meteorological Department on Wednesday announced that a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a tropical cyclone 'Dana'. On October 25, Puri in Odisha and Sagar Island in West Bengal could become a tropical cyclone with winds of up to 120 km mph before making landfall.

In a bulletin, the national weather agency said, "Yesterday’s deep depression over east-central Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestward at a speed of 18 km per hour over the past six hours and intensified into cyclonic storm ‘Dana’."

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has reported that a deep depression intensified into cyclone 'Dana' in the central eastern Bay of Bengal on Wednesday morning. The cyclone will move northwest, intensify into a tropical storm, and cross the Odisha-West Bengal coast between Puri and Sagar islands on the morning of October 25. Winds will reach 120 mph.

Location and warnings

As of 5:30 am, it was located 560 km southeast of Paradip and 630 km southeast of Sagar Island. The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea between October 23 and 25. Winds in Odisha and the West Bengal coast will reach 60 km/h on October 23. From October 24 night to October 25 morning.

Railway traffic affected

In response to the severe cyclone, the South Eastern Railway (SER) has cancelled over 150 express and passenger trains that scheduled to depart between 23 and 25 October. The SER in Kolkata covering West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand may cancel more services as the situation develops.

Emergency teams were mobilised

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is on high alert, mobilising ships and aircraft to respond quickly to any emergency. In addition, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 13 teams across South Bengal to prepare for emergencies.

Rainfall forecast

The IMD has forecast very heavy rains in South Bengal on October 24 and 25, with coastal districts like South 24 Parganas, West Medinipur, East Medinipur and Jhargram expecting heavy rains. Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, Purulia, and Bankura are also likely to see significant rainfall during this period.