NEW DELHI: Over the next 48 hours, a severe cyclonic storm threatens to roar over the Bay of Bengal following the formation of a low pressure area over the Andaman Sea. Various current models suggest that the fall of the cyclonic storm would be at the coast of Odisha or adjoining West Bengal or it may re-curve towards Bangladesh.
The cyclone, named as ‘Dana’ by Oman, has started moving towards West-North in the Bay of Bengal and intensifying into a depression by October 22 morning and into a cyclonic storm by October 23 over East Central Bay of Bengal.
India Meteorological Department’s all models suggest the Odisha coast would bear the brunt of the emerging Dana.
The three Indian models IMD-GFS, NCMRWF’s NCUM-G and INCOIS predict the weather system will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by October 24 and make a landfall between Gopalpur and Jagatsinghpur in the morning hours of October 25.
Under influence of the cyclogenesis, the IMD forecast very heavy rainfall over Andaman & Nicobar on October 20-21 and over Gangetic West Bengal on October 24-25 and isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Odisha on October 24-25. It has issued an advisory to fishermen not to venture into sea in the next five days. Those fishermen already out in the sea were told to return by October 21.