The rainfall on Wednesday morning served as a relief to city dwellers parched following the scorching heat of the past many days.
The strongest hailstorm of the season hit Dhaka, recording 59mm of rain from 6am to 12pm. According to the Meteorological Department, the wind speed in the city's airport area was 70 kilometers per hour during the storm.
While residents of Dhaka were relieved due to the rain, the reality was different in most of the districts, where deaths and massive losses to crops have been reported.
So far, six deaths have been reported in Chittagong, Comilla, Bogra, Manikganj and Laxmipur due to the storm.
At the time of preparing this report, hailstorms hit different areas of Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Chittagong districts.
“It started to rain in the capital from 6 am today (Wednesday). Heavy rains with thunderstorms started just before 7 am, accompanied by lightning,” Meteorologist Mohammad Tarikul Newaz Kabir told Dhaka Tribune.
“At the time the wind speed in the Agargaon area was 55 kilometers per hour. The speed in the airport area was 60 kilometers per hour,” he added.
The highest rain recorded in the last 24 hours was 60mm in the northern district of Rangpur.
Saying that the weather on Thursday would be comparatively better on Thursday, Tarikul Newaz Kabir said: “It is being predicted the weather will get back to normal within a couple of days.”
The port city of Chittagong experienced its first monsoon showers of the season with gusty winds and thunderstorms.
As the storm hit the port, a sand-laden bulkhead sank with five crew members on board, who were later rescued.
However, two deaths have so far been recorded there, one in the Sandwip Channel and the other in Fatikchhari.
Hailstorm in river
The Daulatdia-Paturia waterway remained closed for about 45minutes on Wednesday owing to the hailstorm that accompanied the rain and thunder.
According to people familiar with the matter, the sky suddenly darkened at around 6:15am, followed by wind and rain.
Moreover, five ferries leaving both the terminals got caught in the storm. Among them, two ferries lost their way and reached the wharf about an hour and a half later.
“Three ferries leaving Daulatdia Ghat and two more from Paturia Ghat were caught in the storm,” Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Daulatdia office manager Shihab Uddin told Dhaka Tribune.
The Ro Ro Ferry Keramat Ali, Khanjahan Ali, K-type (medium) Ferry Dhaka and utility (small) ferry Hasnahena, Rajnigandha and others, which left Daulatdia and Paturia ghats, got caught in the storm.
Meanwhile, Daulatdia’s Ghat 3 and 7 have been closed due to damage caused by the storm. Thousands of people were stranded as hundreds of vehicles were stuck in the inclement weather.
Surma water levels rising
The water level in River Surma is on the rise as heavy rain continues in Sunamganj, which saw 39mm of rain in the last 24 hours.
According to the Sunamganj Water Development Board, the water level in the Surma was 5.93 meters at 12 noon on Wednesday, rising by one centimeter compared to Tuesday.
However, the water level is still 12cm below danger level.
