Severe Cyclonic Storm Dana () was a strong

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...

which affected the states of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...

and

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. The third cyclonic storm and second severe cyclonic storm of the

2024 North Indian Ocean cyclone season The 2024 North Indian Ocean cyclone season is an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The season has no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with the peak from May to November. These d ...

, Dana formed from a low pressure area that the Indian Meteorological Department first monitored on October 20.

Meteorological history

Severe Cyclonic Storm Dana rose from a cyclonic circulation which formed over the

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated fro ...

on October 19 from which

low pressure area In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...

formed in the south

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line bet ...

at 23:30 IST on October 20. It moved northwestwards and formed a well marked low pressure area at 11:30 IST on October 21. It concentrated into a depression at 05:30 IST on October 22, 770 km south-southeast of

Sagar Island Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km (54 nautical miles) south of Kolkata. This island forms the Sagar CD Block in Kakdwip subdivision of South 24 Parganas distric ...

. At 16:30 IST,

Joint Typhoon Warning Centre The Joint typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...

issued a

Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) is a bulletin released by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii or the Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, Virginia, warning of the possibility of a tropical cyclone formi ...

on the depression. By 17:30 IST, it had consolidated into a deep depression and was 740 km south-southeast of Sagar Island, moving in a west-northwestern direction at a speed of 7 km/h. Over the next 6 hours, it intensified into cyclonic storm Dana; moving with a speed of 18 km/h and lay centered 630 km from of Sagar Island at 05:30 IST of October 23. It further intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm at 23:30 IST; moving at a speed of 15 km/h and lay centered about 420 km from Sagar Island. At 11:30 IST on October 24, the storm was 270 km south of Sagar Island and was moving at a speed of 13 km/h and by 21:30 IST it was 190 km south-southwest of Sagar Island and was moving towards the Odisha coast at a speed of 15 km/h. At 23:30 IST on October 24, the storm started making

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

. It crossed the North Odisha coast close to Habalikhati Nature Camp (

Bhitarkanika Bhitarkanika Mangroves is a mangrove wetland in Odisha, India, covering an area of in the Brahmani River and Baitarani River deltas. History The Bhitarkanika Mangroves were zamindari forests until 1952, when the government of Odisha abolishe ...

) and

Dhamra Port The Dhamra Port is a port in Bhadrak district, Odisha, India, on the shore of the Bay of Bengal about seven kilometres from the old port of Dhamra. The agreement to develop the port was signed in April 1998. The Dhamra Port Company Limited (D ...

between 01:30 IST and 03:30 IST on October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm. It lay centered about 20 km south-east and at 02:30 IST and 10 km north of Dhamra Port and 20 km north-northwest of Habalikhati Nature Camp at 03:30 IST, moving with a speed of 12 km/h with wind speeds of 110 km/h and gusts reaching upto 130 km/h. At 07:30 IST, the storm moved north-westwards at a speed of 10 km/h and was 30 km and 50 km north-northwest of Dhamra Port and Habalikhati Nature Camp(Bhitarkanika) respectively. Subsequently, the system got surrounded by anti-cyclone conditions on east and west sides and encountered heavy

wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizon ...

. This caused it weakened into a cyclonic storm. It completed the landfall process at 08:30 IST with wind speeds of 80-90 km/h and gusts of upto 100 km/h. It lay 30 km northeast of

Bhadrak Bhadrak is a city of Odisha state in eastern India. The city is the district headquarters of Bhadrak district. According to legend, the city derives its name from the Goddess Bhadrakali, whose temple is on the banks of the Salandi River. His ...

and 50 km north-northwest of Dhamra Port, moving at a speed of 10 km/h. As it weakened, it moved further inland in a north-northwestward direction, under the influence of the

subtropical ridge The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as subtropical ridges, or highs. It is a high-pressu ...

to its west, at a speed of 7 km/h. At 12:30 IST it was 40 km north-northeast of Bhadrak and 70 km north-northwest of Dhamra with wind speeds of 65 km/h and gusts up to 85 km/h. It weakened further into a deep depression with wind speeds of 55 km/h and gusts of 75 km/h and at 14:30 IST it was 40 km north-northwest of Bhadrak. After this, the remnants of the storm weakened further into a depression about 50 km northwest of Bhadrak and 70 km east-southeast of

Keonjhar Kendujhar is a town with municipality in Kendujhar District in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kendujhar district, and it is one of the fifth scheduled areas of Odisha. Climate Politics Mohan char ...

at 23:30 IST on October 25 and remained stationary over that area. Subsequently it weakened into a

remnant low A post-tropical cyclone is a former tropical cyclone that no longer possesses enough tropical qualities to be considered a tropical cyclone. The word may refer to a former tropical cyclone undergoing extratropical transition or a tropical cyclone ...

and finally dissipated on October 26.

Preparations

Almost 500,00 people were evacuated in

by 21:00 IST. In

almost 2.4 lakh people took shelter in relief camps. To ensure the safety of the people, the Odisha State Government deployed 288 rescue teams from the

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is an Indian specialized force constituted "for the purpose of special response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster" under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The "Apex Body for Disaster M ...

, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and fire services. In South Bengal, the NDRF deployed several teams to respond to any emergency situation. The

Indian Coast Guard The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India with jurisdiction over its territorial waters including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. The Indian Coast Guard was formally estab ...

was on high alerts and mobilised its vessels and aircraft to respond to any emergency over the

. The

Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) is the Kolkata-based flagship company of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, born from the erstwhile RPG Group, under the chairmanship of businessman Sanjiv Goenka. It is an Indian electricity gene ...

deployed 6,000 men and 200 patrol vans to carry swift repairs after cyclone. Nearly 400 train services were cancelled or diverted by Eastern Railway, South Eastern Railway and

East Coast Railway The East Coast Railway (abbreviated ECoR) is one of the 19 railway zones of Indian Railways. It came into existence on 1 April 2003. The headquarters of the zone are at Bhubaneswar, Odisha History Consequent upon the parliament's approval, Ea ...

to ensure public safety.

Kolkata Airport Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an international airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the Kolkata Metropolitan Area and is the aviation hub for eastern and northeastern India. It is located approximatel ...

and

Bhubaneswar Airport Biju Patnaik International Airport is an international airport serving Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. It is situated around south-west from Bhubaneswar Railway Station and from the city center. Named after the former chief min ...

suspended flights from 18:00 IST on October 24 until 09:00 IST on October 25.

Impact

India

Odisha

In Odisha, six hours before landfall, multiple roads were blocked by uprooted trees. Up to of rain was recorded in

Paradip Paradeep, also spelt Paradip (originally Paradweep, also spelt Paradwip), is a major seaport city and municipality, from Jagatsinghpur city in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha, India. Paradeep Municipality was constituted as an NAC on 27 Sep ...

. Power infrastructure was hit in isolated parts of

and

Kendrapara Kendrapara is a Town and a municipality in the Kendrapara district of the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of Kendrapara district. Geography Kendrapara is located at . It has an average elevation of . It is surrounded by Bh ...

districts. An elderly woman died of a heart attack at an evacuation center in

Kendrapara District Kendrapara District is an administrative district of Odisha state in eastern India. The town of Kendrapara is the district headquarters. Kendrapara District is situated in the eastern portion of the state, and is bounded on the north by Bhadrak ...

. Damage statewide stood at Rs 616.69 crore (US$73.3 million).

West Bengal

Three people in West Bengal died from electrocution. In south Kolkata’s

Bhowanipore Bhowanipore (also Bhowanipur; bn, ভবানীপুর) is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in Kolkata district of West Bengal, India. History In 1717, the East India Company obtained the right to rent from 38 villages surrounding their s ...

, 20-year-old Saurabh Prasad Gupta was electrocuted to death in a waterlogged street; a person died of electrocution in Patharpratima, South 24 Parganas, while trying to fix broken cables in his home; and, on 25 October, civic volunteer Chandan Hazra (32), accompanying a police team, was electrocuted to death when he accidentally touched a live wire in Bud Bud, Burdwan East. The other death was in

Howrah Howrah (, , alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River opposite its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively it lies within Howrah district, and is t ...

’s Tantipara, where Gautam Chattopadhyay (38), a Howrah Municipal Corporation conservancy worker returning home from work, was found dead in a waterlogged street from suspected drowning. In

Murshidabad Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district. Duri ...

, four people were missing after strong winds from Dana caused several boats to capsize in the

Ganges river The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

. In

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, of rain was recorded from 6.30 a.m. of 25 October to 6.30 a.m. of 26 October, causing severe waterlogging.

Jodhpur Park Jodhpur Park is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India. Geography It has Dhakuria to the north and the east, the Gariahat Road to the east, Jadavpur to the south and Lake Gardens to the west. In a recent s ...

in Kolkata recorded more than between 4 am and 8 pm on 25 October.

Bangladesh

In Betagi,

Barguna District Barguna ( bn, বরগুনা ''Borguna'') is a district in the division of Barisal, Bangladesh. It is situated in the southern part of Bangladesh. Barguna subdivision was established in 1969 and promoted to district on 28 February 1984. Hi ...

, a farmer was crushed to death by a falling tree due to the cyclone. The cyclone also destroyed seven houses and injured three people in

Patuakhali District Patuakhali () is a district in South-central Bangladesh in the Barisal Division. This district is the main entrance for the beach of Kuakata. Geography It is adjacent to the Bay of Bengal. The area of the district is 3220.15 km2. Patuakha ...

. A three-year-old boy drowned at a lake in

Gangni Gangni is a census town in the Ranaghat I CD block in the Ranaghat subdivision of the Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Gangni is located at . Area overview Nadia district is mostly alluvial plains lying ...

Meherpur District Meherpur ( bn, মেহেরপুর, pron: ''meɦeɾpuɾ'') is the northwestern district of Khulna Division in southwestern Bangladesh. It is bordered by the Indian state of West Bengal to the west, and by the Bangladeshi districts of Kushtia ...

. Falling trees also destroyed some homes and schools in Kathalia.

Notes

References

External links

03B.DANA
from the

United States Naval Research Laboratory The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. It was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, applied research, technological ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dana 2024 North Indian Ocean cyclone season 2024 disasters in Bangladesh 2024 disasters in India 2020s in West Bengal October 2024 in Bangladesh October 2024 in India Tropical cyclones in Bangladesh Tropical cyclones in India