Cyclone Dana is expected to make landfall in West Bengal and Odisha on Thursday, forcing schools to close and beaches to evacuate ahead of Diwali and Kali Puja.

A depression over the Bay of Bengal is set to intensify into Cyclone Dana, likely making landfall between Odisha’s Puri and Bengal’s Sagar Island on October 24-25. Central agencies, along with NDRF teams,

Odisha and West Bengal are preparing for an impending cyclonic storm named ‘Dana’, expected to make landfall on the intervening night of October 24 and October 25. The name ‘Dana’ is given by Qatar as part of an international cyclone naming system overseen by the World Meteorological Organization.

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.

October 24 and October 25 will be crucial for the people in several districts of Odisha in view of the severe cyclonic storm Dana which is likely to trigger heavy to very heavy rainfall in Odisha.

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

A cyclonic circulation over the North Andaman Sea is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm and reach the Odisha-West Bengal coasts by October 24.