Land depression weakens further, warning signal lowered in ports

The well-marked low-pressure system that brought continuous rain across Dhaka and the rest of Bangladesh has now weakened significantly.

As a result, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department has asked all four of the country’s seaports to lower the cautionary signals.

While there is no forecast for heavy rainfall in the coming days, light drizzles are still expected, according to the Met Office.

Meteorologist Shahnaz Sultana said on Saturday there was no longer any possibility of strong winds over the seaports, northern Bay of Bengal, or the coastal regions of Bangladesh.

“The well-marked low has largely lost its strength,” she said. “Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla, and Payra ports have been advised to lower their warning signals. Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon has spread over Bangladesh.”

When asked how long the rainfall might persist, Shahnaz added: “Since monsoon season is now underway, we can expect occasional light rain in some areas. But there’s no chance of heavy downpours like we saw over the past two days.”

The low-pressure system developed over the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday and gradually intensified into a well-marked low. By 6am on Thursday, it turned into a depression, and later evolved into a deep depression.

The weather system triggered heavy rainfall but weakened again into a low by Thursday night. By Friday evening, it reverted to a well-marked low, and by Saturday, it had become "unimportant", according to the Met Office.