How to track it in real time? – First post

A “severe cyclonic storm”, called Cyclone Dana, is expected to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port in Odisha on Thursday night (October 24) and early Friday (October 25). . According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the tropical storm forming in the Bay of Bengal is predicted to have winds of 100-110 km/h and gusts of up to 120 km/h.

The cyclone is moving in a north-northwest direction at a speed of 13 km/h and has brought heavy rains in parts of Odisha and West Bengal. As the severe cyclonic storm approaches, how can we track it?

Let’s take a closer look.

Impact of Cyclone Dana

Cyclone Dana began forming over the Bay of Bengal in the early hours of Wednesday. The IMD predicts that there will be “heavy to very heavy” rainfall along the east coast in the next 24 hours.

The meteorological agency warned of strong winds, severe thunderstorms and heavy rain in parts of Odisha and West Bengal.

“There are chances of a storm surge (above astronomical tide) resulting in flooding of low-lying areas in Kendrapada, Bhadrak and Balasore districts during landfall,” said Umashankar Das, scientist at Bhubaneswar regional center. Indian Express.

Ahead of landfall, heavy rains and gusty winds lashed southern West Bengal on Thursday.

According to the IMD, Cyclone Dana is carrying intense convection in its western sector, which goes up to the upper layers of the atmosphere, it said. With your feet on the ground magazine.

The cyclone’s core has warm, moist air, which can increase convection and the rainfall it can carry. According to the magazine, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) could also affect the rainfall that the cyclone will bring. MJO is an “eastward-moving disturbance of clouds, rain, winds, and pressure that crosses the planet in the tropics,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

There are several phases of the MJO. It is currently in phase 5, which means greater convection or rain, With your feet on the ground reported citing the IMD.

The meteorological department has warned of heavy rain in Purba, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargam, Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly and North and South 24 Parganas in West Bengal.

In Odisha, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts are expected to bear the maximum impact of the cyclone.

Schools have been closed in Odisha and West Bengal as these states prepare for Cyclone Dana.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said schools in seven districts will remain closed from October 23 to 26. The Odisha government has closed all educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities in 14 districts, until Friday due to the tropical storm.

Cyclone Dana disrupted travel, with hundreds of trains and flights cancelled.
All flight operations at Kolkata airport have been suspended from 6pm on Thursday to 9am on Friday. Flights to and from Bhubaneswar were also suspended from Thursday night till Friday morning.

Preparation for Cyclone Dana

Odisha is evacuating over 10 lakh people ahead of Cyclone Dana’s arrival. “The state has identified more than 3,000 vulnerable locations (villages) in 14 districts, mainly along the coastal strip, and initiated evacuation procedures. 10,60,336 people are likely to be evacuated before Cyclone Dana makes landfall,” said Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, according to Indian Express.

Odisha CM Mohan Majhi said 7,285 cyclone shelters are ready to accommodate evacuated people.

Over 2.5 lakh people were evacuated to safe places in West Bengal in anticipation of the severe cyclonic storm.

The IMD has urged fishermen not to venture into the sea between October 23 and 25.

Rescue teams are also on standby. Around 20 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 51 teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), 200 fire brigade teams and 158 police platoons have been deployed in Odisha.

In West Bengal, 13 battalions of the state disaster management force and 14 teams of the NDRF have been deployed in the coastal regions.

The Indian Coast Guard has mobilized ships and aircraft to face any emergency at sea.
Rescue and relief teams from the Indian Army and Navy are also ready.

READ ALSO: In Graphics | How cyclones form and their devastating impact

How to track Cyclone Dana?

Although IMD provides regular updates on the cyclone, it does not have a real-time cyclone tracker.

Third-party services like Windy and Zoom Earth show the cyclone’s estimated trajectory along with wind speed.

Other apps for tracking Cyclone Dana are Windfinder, My Hurricane Tracker & Alerts and The Weather Channel.

With contributions from agencies