Dhaka city, along with a number of districts across Bangladesh, breathed a sigh of relief on Monday night after a heavy bout of rainfall brought the much-awaited respite from a prolonged heatwave that has had the country gasping for several days.
Some of the areas also experienced strong wind along with the rain.
However, speaking to Bangla Tribune on Monday, meteorologist Bazlur Rashid said the rain was not an effect of Cyclone Yaas brewing over the Bay of Bengal.
“Bangladesh has yet to experience the effects of Cyclone Yaas. It may take till Tuesday evening,” he said. “It is raining tonight [Monday night] because of the local weather. As the temperature rose, clouds formed in the sky, resulting in the rain.”
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He further said this bout of rain would help the country cool down a bit.
A Met Office bulletin on Monday had predicted light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind at many places in Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal, and Sylhet divisions.
One or two places in Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Mymensingh divisions may see a similar weather event, with moderately heavy to heavy rainfall at several other places in the country, the bulletin added.
Bangladesh recorded the highest temperature in the last 24 hours at 38.5°C, in Sitakunda.
The highest single-day rainfall over the same period was 35mm, recorded in Kutubdia.
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Cyclone Yaas formed on Monday from a deep depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas, moving west-northwest and expected to hit India’s Odisha and West Bengal on Wednesday.
Meteorologist Arif Hossain said some coastal districts, including Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, and Barguna, might be affected by the cyclonic storm, even though it had changed its direction and was now headed towards India.
Heavy rainfall or storms might occur in the coastal districts, he said.