BHUBANESHWAR: The low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal on Monday intensified and is likely to turn into a severe cyclonic storm by October 23 and reach the coasts adjoining Odisha and West Bengal the next day, bringing heavy rain in the two states for three days till Friday, the Met office said.Advising fishermen not to venture into the sea between October 23 and 25, the weathermen warned that wind speed is likely to reach 60 kilometres per hour (kmph) along and off the Odisha-West Bengal coasts from Wednesday and gradually increase to 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph, from October 24 night till October 25 morning.The India Meteorological Department said, ” the system is very likely to cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island during the night of October 24 and early morning October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph with gusting 120 kmph.”The IMD has issued a red warning (take action) of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm) with isolated extremely heavy rainfall (more than 20 cm) and thunderstorm with lightning in Puri, Khurda, Ganjam and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha on October 24.The state government today announced that schools in 14 districts of Odisha will remain closed for three days in view of impending cyclone ‘Dana’.The chools in Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Angul, Khurda, Nayagarh and Cuttack districts will remain closed from October 23 to 25 as a precautionary measure against the cyclone.
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