Bhubaneswar: Cyclone 'Dana' formed over the Bay of Bengal today, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The system is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm by the early morning of tomorrow and cross coast between Puri and Sagar Island during night of 24th October to morning of 25th October as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting 120 kmph, the agency said.

"Yesterday’s deep depression over Eastcentral Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 18 kmph during past 6 hours intensified into a cyclonic storm “DANA” (pronounced as Dana), and lay centred at 0530 hrs IST of today, the 23rd October, over the same region near latitude 16.3° N and longitude 89.9°E, about 560 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 630 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal) and 630 km south-southeast of Khepupara (Bangladesh)," the IMD said in a bulletin issued this morning.

"It is very likely to move northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over northwest Bay of Bengal by early morning of 24th October and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island during night of 24th October to morning of 25th October as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting 120 kmph," the bulletin added.