Heavy rain set to soak Bangladesh from Tuesday

Monsoon winds accompanied by a potential low pressure system in the Bay of Bengal are likely to trigger intermittent rains over the next few days, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

From Tuesday, heavy downpours could occur in some places of the country, the Met Office forecast.

Meteorologist Abul Kalam Mallik said, “The low could form around the 27th [May]. But the chances of it turning into a depression or cyclone is very low. It will rain everyday. From the 27th, some places will experience heavy to very heavy rains.

“The monsoon has reached the Teknaf coast. Its influence, along with the formation of a low pressure, will increase rainfall, which may continue for three-four days.”

If the low evolves from depression into a cyclone, it will be called “Shakti”, named by Sri Lanka.

The Met Office’s regular bulletin on Saturday said that the extension of the low pressure area stretches from West Bengal to the southwest of Bangladesh and to the north Bay of Bengal.

The southwest monsoon has advanced to the Akyab coast of Myanmar, receiving favourable conditions for further advancement. A low pressure area may form in the west-central and adjacent north Bay of Bengal areas on May 27, it added.

The forecast says that over the next 24 hours from 9am on Saturday, the Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and parts of Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions may experience occasional gusty winds alongside lightning or rain or thundershowers.

Temperatures during the day and night are likely to stay unchanged across the country.

Sandwip recorded the highest rainfall over the past 24 hours at 53mm, while Dinajpur logged 52mm, Rajshahi 32mm, and Chuadanga faced 24mm of rainfall.

During this period, the mercury rose to 35 degrees Celsius -- the highest in the country -- in Mongla, while Saidpur registered the lowest temperature at 23.2 degrees Celsius.