An intense, short-duration spell of rainfall—nearly 150 mm within just a few hours—pounded Feni district on Monday, triggering flash floods, inundating low-lying areas, and disrupting daily life.
Meteorologists and climate experts say the incident bears the characteristics of a cloudburst-like event, underscoring a worrying shift in Bangladesh’s weather patterns driven by climate change.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), the rainfall was “highly unusual” in both intensity and concentration over a limited timeframe.
While cloudbursts have traditionally been associated with mountainous regions, experts warn that similar incidents are now increasingly being observed in low-lying deltaic areas like Bangladesh.
A cloudburst typically refers to extremely heavy rainfall—often exceeding 100 mm within an hour—over a localized area, leading to sudden and severe flooding. Although Feni’s rainfall did not strictly meet that hourly threshold, meteorologists say it clearly falls within the broader category of short-duration, high-intensity precipitation events.
“Warmer air holds more moisture. When that moisture is released rapidly, it leads to intense rainfall over a short period,” climate expert Dr. Ainun Nishat said earlier. “What we are seeing in Feni is consistent with what climate science has been predicting.”
Climate scientists point to the warming waters of the Bay of Bengal as a key driver behind such incidents. Rising sea surface temperatures increase evaporation, injecting more moisture into the atmosphere and fueling the formation of dense storm clouds.
“The Bay is increasingly acting like a heat engine,” said a meteorology professor at Dhaka University. “It supplies both the energy and moisture required for these types of extreme rainfall events, making them more intense and unpredictable.”
Recent regional climate assessments have also linked the Bay’s warming trend to the increasing frequency of heavy rainfall episodes across South Asia.
Feni’s geographical setting further heightens its exposure to sudden flooding. Located downstream of the Tripura hills in India, the district receives runoff from three transboundary rivers—the Muhuri, Kohua, and Silonia.
During heavy rainfall upstream, these rivers swell rapidly, often overwhelming local flood control systems.
“Feni effectively functions as a natural basin,” explained water resources expert Professor Ainun Nishat. “Any intense rainfall in the upstream catchment areas has an immediate downstream impact, leaving little time for preparedness.”
Meteorologists also highlighted the role of a lesser-known atmospheric behavior known as “cloud stalling.” In such cases, storm systems become stationary over a particular area due to weak steering winds or atmospheric pressure imbalances.
This leads to prolonged rainfall over the same location, significantly increasing the likelihood of flash floods—even without a full-scale storm system.
Experts caution that human-induced changes to the landscape have compounded the impact of extreme weather events. Numerous canals and reservoirs have been filled or encroached upon, while elevated roads and railway lines are obstructing natural water flow. Rapid urban expansion has further weakened natural drainage systems.
An official from the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) acknowledged the growing challenge.
“We have significantly altered natural drainage patterns without adequate long-term planning,” the official said. “We are now seeing the consequences—the water is not able to drain quickly, resulting in increased waterlogging and flash floods.”
The Feni incident is not isolated. South Asia has witnessed a series of extreme rainfall events over the past two decades:
- Mumbai (2005): 944 mm rainfall in 24 hours
- Kedarnath, India (2013): catastrophic floods triggered by intense rainfall
- Pakistan (2022): unprecedented monsoon flooding affecting millions
- Tripura (2024–25): repeated heavy rainfall impacting downstream areas in Bangladesh
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has consistently warned that extreme precipitation events in South Asia are likely to become more frequent and intense as global temperatures rise.
Climate experts emphasize that Bangladesh must urgently scale up its adaptation strategies to cope with this evolving risk.
Key priorities include expanding Doppler radar coverage to improve short-term forecasting, strengthening transboundary water data-sharing and cooperation with India, restoring canals, wetlands, and natural reservoirs, and designing climate-resilient infrastructure.
“Early warning systems and coordinated water management are critical,” said a senior climate analyst. “Without these, even moderate rainfall can turn into a disaster.”
The Feni cloudburst serves as a stark reminder that climate change is no longer a distant or abstract threat. It is already reshaping Bangladesh’s hydrological and weather systems in real time.
“The question is no longer whether such events will occur again,” a climate expert said. “The real question is whether Bangladesh will be prepared when they do.”
