Cyclone Dana struck eastern India’s Odisha coast on Friday, bringing heavy rain and winds reaching up to 110 kilometers per hour (70 mph) as it made landfall near the town of Chandbali. The storm, classified as the equivalent of a tropical storm, was located about 250 kilometers southwest of Kolkata, moving slowly north-northwest at 12 kph. Rainfall ranged from 50 to 150 millimeters (2-6 inches) across Odisha and West Bengal, with Chandbali receiving the highest total of 160 mm (6.2 inches). So far, there have been no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Ahead of the storm, authorities undertook massive precautionary measures, evacuating approximately 300,000 people from high-risk areas in Odisha. The government anticipated evacuating over a million people from vulnerable regions across 14 districts, while schools were closed, and transportation services were disrupted. Odisha’s Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi assured citizens of the government’s preparedness, noting that emergency teams had been deployed to manage the storm’s impact.
Cyclones are common along India’s eastern coastline, and their intensity has been increasing in recent years, likely due to climate change. Last year, India’s cyclone season was particularly devastating, resulting in 523 fatalities and around $2.5 billion in damage. Cyclone Dana is expected to weaken as it travels westward through Odisha, with rainfall forecasted to continue through the weekend, though at reduced intensity.