After days of sweltering heat, the rain was in the forecast for Wednesday, raising hopes of a much-needed respite in Dhaka. And, the Met Office was right on the mark with its prediction as residents of the capital woke up to loud cracks of thunder accompanied by a heavy hailstorm.
Shortly after sunrise, the sky was shrouded in dark clouds with squally winds blowing across the city before the onset of the storm around 6:45 am.
Over the last week, many parts of the country, including Dhaka, have been baking in mild heat and the morning downpours offered some relief. However, the winds and showers did not last long.
The storm brought wind gusts of up to 70 km per hour in Dhaka, according to meteorologist Abul Kalam Mallick. The Met Office also recorded 44 mm of rainfall in the capital, reports bdnews24.com.
However, the Fire Service Control Room did not receive any reports of any major damage caused by the nor'wester. Duty officer Lima Khanam said a few trees had been uprooted in the Chandrima Udyan area. There were also reports of power outages in a few areas but the situation returned to normal shortly afterwards..
A nor'wester packing winds of up to 78 km per hour hit Rangpur around 3:30 am. Many other regions also experienced storms between midnight and dawn.
“Nor'westers occur towards the end of the day during this season. Rains and thunderstorms with temporary gusts are likely to continue,” said Mallick.
According to the 24-hour weather forecast for Wednesday, parts of the Rangpur, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions and a few places in Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, and Chittagong divisions may experience showers or thundershowers with sporadic gusts of wind.
The Met Office expects the mild heatwave gripping Rajshahi, Pabna, Jashore, and Rangamati to let up as the day progresses.
The daytime temperatures are likely to drop by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius across the country while the mercury is expected to remain almost unchanged at night.