Cyclone Dana is ravaging eastern India and hundreds of thousands of people have to be evacuated

(CNN) – Heavy rain and strong winds hit parts of eastern India on Friday as a tropical storm hit coastal areas and rescue teams braced for its impact.

According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), tropical cyclone Dana made landfall along the northern coast of Odisha state, equivalent to a tropical storm in the Atlantic basin, with winds of 110 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour). The storm was located about 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Kolkata and was moving north-northwest at a speed of 12 km/h (8 miles per hour) as of 9 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET).

Dana brought rainfall between 50 and 150 millimeters (2 to 6 inches) across Odisha and the state of West Bengal, with the highest total of 160 mm (6.2 inches) reported in the city of Chandbali. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Before landing, authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and closed schools and canceled trains and flights in parts of the country. The India Meteorological Department (India MET) issued its maximum red rainfall warning for parts of Odisha and West Bengal.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi told the Press Trust of India news agency before the storm's landfall that about 300,000 people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas, adding that three districts were likely to be badly affected.

Authorities planned to evacuate more than a million people from 14 districts. Several teams of relief and rescue workers have also been deployed to the state, which is prone to severe cyclones and storms.

“The government is fully prepared to address the situation. They are in safe hands,” said Majhi.

India's east coast has long been prone to cyclones, but the number of severe storms is increasing along the country's coast. Last year was India's deadliest cyclone season in recent years, killing 523 people and causing an estimated $2.5 billion in damage.

Dana is expected to weaken as it drifts westward through Odisha, bringing moderate to isolated heavy rains in its path over the weekend.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press.