Cyclone to make landfall between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra

Bhubaneswar: The outer bands of cyclone ‘Dana’ has begun to affect the eastern coastline with parts of Kendrapara and Bhadrak districts experiencing rain on Wednesday.

Senior IMD scientist Umashankar Das posted on X, "According to radar data from Paradip, the outer band of cyclone ‘Dana’ has touched the land mass in Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts." He said while the cyclone is around 500 km offshore, its outer bands, composed of clouds, can influence local weather conditions.

The IMD said cyclone ‘Dana’ is likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port, a distance of around 70 km, early on Friday.

A senior revenue official said, "We are prioritising evacuation of people in coastal areas as the IMD has predicted a tidal surge of 1 to 2 metres in Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Balasore."