The cyclonic storm Dana, which is anticipated to make landfall close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamara in the neighbouring state of Odisha is expected to bring squally winds to Kolkata with speed reaching 60-70 Kmph, gusting to 80 kmph as it crosses Odisha and West Bengal coasts.

According to the weather office, the system moved nearer to land today, reaching close to port city at a distance of 460 km from Paradip with a speed of 13 kmph during the past 6 hours and lay centered over the same region and is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over northwest Bay of Bengal by early morning tomorrow.

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The cyclone is anticipated cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamara in Odisha on the intervening night of 24 October and morning of 25 October as a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph, gusting up to 120 kmph in the coastal areas. As informed by the Regional Meteorological Centre Kolkata, which has issued wind warning for several districts of south Bengal for tomorrow and Friday, apart from Kolkata, other districts of south Bengal, including North 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bankura could also witness squally winds reaching 60-70 Kmph, gusting to 80 kmph from Thursday evening to Friday morning. The other districts of south Bengal, such as East & West Midnapore, Jhargram, Sagar Island and Sundarbans area are to have squally winds turning into gale winds with speed reaching even 120 kmph during the landfall period.

With anticipation of such high winds, the weather office is expecting major damage to thatched houses, huts or even kutcha and pucca roads. According to the weather scientists, during the period, rooftops or temporary hoardings might even get blown off while unattached metal sheets could also fly. Amid such wind warnings, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has urged the residents of dilapidated buildings to shift to shelters during the cyclone. As informed by mayor Firhad Hakim today, the civic body has kept pumping stations on high alert to prevent inundation while KMC officials, along with CESC, is to prevent instances of power disruptions. The parks and squares department of the KMC is also to be ready for removing uprooted trees.