Cyclone Dana struck Coastal Odisha & West Bengal with minimum casualty
Science
5 min read
Severe tropical cyclone ‘Dana’ struck the eastern coast of India, triggering torrential rain and high-speed winds up to 100-120 km per hour. It caused significant damage to the infrastructure and crops in the coastal districts of Odisha and West Bengal.
Due to the preparedness of the central and the state governments, no loss of life was reported from Odisha, while two people lost their lives in West Bengal.
This is the third tropical cyclone to hit India in the 2024 season.
The first cyclone of the 2024 season to form in the Bay of Bengal was ‘Remal, 'which hit coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh in May 2024. Oman suggested the name Remal, which in Arabic means sand.
The first cyclone of the season to originate in the Arabian Sea was Cyclone Asna. It hit the coast of Gujarat in August 2024. The name Cyclone Asna was given by Pakistan, which in Urdu means one to be acknowledged or praised.’
Landfall area of the Dana Cyclone
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, Cyclone Dana made landfall on the night of 24 October 2024 between Odisha's Puri and West Bengal's Sagar Island.
Landfall of a Cyclone refers to the coming into contact with the centre of the tropical cyclone over land. Cyclones originate in the warm and moist sea and move towards the land. The landfall causes most death and destruction. The wind speed of the cyclone is at its peak during the landfall. It causes strong sea waves and heavy rains on land, which usually result in widespread floods.
Who gave the name Dana, and what does it Mean?
Qatar suggested the name Dana, which is an Arabic word meaning 'a most perfectly sized, valuable and beautiful pearl’.
How are Cyclones named?
The name of the tropical cyclone is decided by five tropical cyclone regional bodies set up by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). These bodies are
- the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)/WMO Typhoon Committee,
- WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones,
- RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee,
- RA IV Hurricane Committee, and
- RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee.
The WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones decides the names of tropical cyclones originating in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. This practice commenced in 2004.
The 13 members of the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones—Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan, Myanmar, Iran, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen—propose the names for the cyclones.
The Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) set up by the WMO in New Delhi chooses the names in alphabetical order. The name of the cyclone is never repeated.
What is a Cyclone?
The word cyclone was coined by Henry Piddington, who worked as a Rapporteur in Kolkata during British rule.
A cyclone is a system of winds that circulates about a centre of low atmospheric pressure in an anticlockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and in a clockwise direction in the Southern hemisphere.
Tropical Cyclones originate between the Tropics of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.
Temperate Cyclones originate in temperate, high-altitude areas. Cyclonic winds are found in all the globe except the equatorial region.
