A weather system over the Bay of Bengal has intensified and is expected to become a severe cyclonic storm named Dana. It is projected to make landfall along the Odisha-West Bengal coast in the early hours of October 25,

The deep depression in the east-central Bay of Bengal intensified into cyclonic storm Dana at around 5.30 am on Wednesday, and is centred at around 560 km from Odisha's Paradip and 630 km from Sagar Island,

East Coast Railways cancels 178 trains as cyclone nears Odisha and Bengal; authorities begin large-scale evacuations; schools closed in coastal districts from October 23 to 26

Similar measures have been taken by the Odisha government, which has closed schools and colleges in 14 districts, including Ganjam, Puri, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Angul, Khurda, Nayagargh, and Cuttack until October 25.

Cyclone Dana is likely to strike the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal in the early hours of Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The IMD has forecast wind speeds of 100-110km/h, gusting up to 120km/h. Heavy rainfall and high winds are expected along the eastern coast, especially from Puri in Odisha to Sagar Island in West Bengal.

Both West Bengal and Kolkata municipal authorities have activated control rooms. Odisha has also established emergency command centers to monitor and manage cyclone-related incidents.

The Arabian Sea is bracing for Cyclone Dana, named by Saudi Arabia means “generosity” in Urdu. If Cyclone Dana forms, is expected to make landfall near Puri along the coastlines of Odisha and West Bengal on October 24 i.

Cyclone Dana may form by October 23, impacting Odisha and West Bengal, as a low-pressure area intensifies in the Bay of Bengal.