Showers to subside midweek, low pressure looms late May

Dhaka has seen intermittent rainfall over the past few days, marking the beginning of the Bengali month of Joishtho. Other parts of the country have also received varying amounts of rain.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), however, has forecast that the rainfall trend may taper off from Wednesday.

The agency has also signalled the possibility of a low-pressure system developing towards the end of May.

Meteorologist Shahnaz Sultana told bdnews24.com, “The rainfall will subside from tomorrow. A low-pressure system may form around the 27th or 28th of May.”

The BMD’s 6pm bulletin on Tuesday said over the next 24 hours, there may be occasional gusty winds with lightning or light to moderate rain or thundershowers mostly in Rangpur, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions, alongside some places in Rajshahi, Dhaka, and Chattogram divisions, and one or two places in Khulna and Barishal divisions.

There may also be moderate to heavy rainfall in some places in Rangpur, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions. Day and night temperatures may remain almost unchanged across the country.

Generally, rainfall is classified based on the amount received in 24 hours: 1 to 10mm is considered light, 11 to 22mm is moderate, 23 to 43mm is moderately heavy, 44 to 88mm is heavy, and over 88mm is considered extremely heavy rainfall.

The highest rainfall in the country in the last 24 hours was recorded in Sylhet, 192mm.

Extremely heavy rainfall occurred in Rangpur and Kurigram’s Rajarhat, of which 146mm of rain fell in Rangpur, and 122mm in Rajarhat.

In addition, the BMD recorded 64mm of rainfall in Moulvibazar’s Sreemangal, and 26mm in Dhaka.

The highest temperature recorded in the country in this period was in Jashore, 37 degrees Celsius.

The lowest temperature was recorded in Nilphamari’s Saidpur, 21.6 degrees Celsius.