Country witnesses first nor’wester of the year

After the sudden heat waves of the past few weeks, the first nor'wester of the year hit several parts of the country on Saturday afternoon.

Talking to The Business Standard, Meteorologist Shahinur Islam said it was the first Kalbaishakhi of the season in Dhaka.

The storm – starting around 4.35pm – had a maximum speed of 52 kilometres per hour.

Alongside Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Munshiganj, Barishal, and Madaripur also experienced strong winds from around 4.30pm on Saturday.

At around 3.30pm, it started raining intermittently in Dhaka. By 4:30pm, the sky turned dark and the rowdy dust storm began.

The Meteorological Department hoisted warning signal 1 for the river ports of the country till 1am Saturday.

Besides, Dhaka and its nearby areas may witness gusty wind and rain by Sunday noon.

According to the weather forecast on Saturday, Pabna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Bogura, Mymensingh, Tangail, Dhaka, Faridpur, Cumilla, Noakhali, Khulna, Barisal and Patuakhali may witness temporary strong wind and thunderstorms at the speed of 45 to 60.  

Meanwhile, according to the forecast for March, moderate to severe thunderstorms accompanied by hailstorms are expected in the north, northwest, and central parts of the country. Other parts of the country may witness 2-3 days of moderate storms with hail and thunder.

Besides, moderate heat waves (36c – 38c) are likely to hit the western and northwestern parts of the country by the end of this month.