Rare February rain
Sudden downpour usher in chill across country
Saif Ahmed and Safa Nilima tied the knot six days ago. Their first Friday together, as a newly married couple, suddenly turned cosy as it rained all day.
"We had Pulao and other delicious dishes and enjoyed the February rain for the first time if my memory serves me right," Saif said, smiling.
"The evening was truly memorable. But, my wife became a little scared when heavy lightning struck and she screamed," he added.
Wahidur Rahman Imran, a naval architect based in Sylhet, said he never witnessed rain in the last weeks of Magh – the second month of winter in the Bangla calendar.
"I have heard November rain, even December rain, but rain in February – that too for two consecutive days is a new experience for me. It was really a soothing experience as it is Friday and I had the luxury to spend the peaceful evening in bed," said Imran.
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"After Maghrib prayers I went out to the nearest market to have some snacks and tea, came back home and it had to be movie time amid the rain and cold," he added.
Kawsar Parvin, meteorologist of Bangladesh Meteorology Department, told The Business Standard that the country has likely never experienced such amounts of rain and storms at this time of year recently.
"Last two days, record rainfall was recorded amid winter in recent years. As of Friday, a heavy storm crossed Dhaka around 11am-12 noon and it was around 70km per hour," she said.
Dhaka saw just 7mm of rainfall, but the highest rainfall was recorded at 33mm in Dinajpur. "Temperature at night may drop 2-3 degrees Celsius due to the rain, which is likely to stop by Saturday morning," she said.
Light to moderate showers with thunderstorms hit several parts of Bangladesh including northern districts Dinajpur, Kurigram, Tangail, Pabna early Friday morning, triggering chilly weather conditions at many places.
It started drizzling in several parts of Dhaka city after 12 noon, according to the Met office.
Fariha Nowshin Borny, a judicial service member, also said it was the first time she witnessed February rain. "I took some aesthetic photos of gardening in my veranda and wrote a poem and obviously had tea several times amid the beautiful rain outside," she said.
Md Bayzidur Rahman, a policeman, who went on an outing to the Beraid area of the capital with his friends and family on Friday afternoon was not, however, as jolly.
"Winter is my favourite season but not the rain. Rain and winter together is an awful combination for me…it was a dull day for me, but we enjoyed the time together," he said.
Naimul Islam Miraz, a Dhaka University student, said, "Suddenly the sky turned black with clouds. I was cycling, completely unprepared for rain.
"Wet and chill, I got back home and made khichuri for me. I love to have khichuri on a rainy day. After the delicious meal, I brought out my laptop and watched a movie until I slept, enjoying the sound of the heavy rain."
The lowest temperature in the past 24 hours was recorded at 11.2 degrees in Tetulia upazila and the highest temperature at 29.3 degrees in Mongla, according to the Met office.
Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds were reported at many places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions.
Besides, showers were also reported from a few places in Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram divisions.
The Met office forecast moderate to thick fog at places over river basins of the southern part and light to moderate fog elsewhere from midnight to Saturday morning.
In an outlook for the next 72 hours, the weather department predicted that rainfall may eventually decrease.
