Staff Correspondent

The ongoing torrential rain in the country may persist until 5-6 July due to an active monsoon and strong conditions over the North Bay of Bengal, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

“Monsoon trough runs through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and the centre of the low to Assam across central Bangladesh. Monsoon is active over Bangladesh and strong over the North Bay,” Monowar Hossain, a meteorologist at the BMD, told the Daily Sun.

Due to the active monsoon, heavy (44-88 mm/24 hrs) to very heavy rainfall (more than 89 mm/24 hrs) is expected in areas within the Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Sylhet, Barishal, Khulna, and Chattogram divisions over the next 72 hours, starting at 4pm on Sunday.

The heavy rainfall may also trigger landslides in the hilly regions of the Chattogram and Sylhet divisions, the meteorologist added.

Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds are likely to occur in most places across the Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions, with moderately heavy to very heavy falls in some areas on Monday.

The southwest monsoon is particularly strong over the North Bay and the adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh. This has led to deep convection and a steep pressure gradient over the North Bay. As a result, gusty or squally weather may affect the maritime ports, the North Bay, and adjacent coastal areas of Bangladesh, according to the BMD forecast.

Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal three.

All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been asked to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice.

According to the information from meteorological organisations, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in the northeastern and adjoining upstream parts of the country in the next 48 hours.

“As a result, the water levels of rivers in this region may rise during this period. In the next 48 hours, the water levels of the Surma, Kushiyara, Old-Surma, and Sarigowain rivers in the northeastern region may rise rapidly, potentially causing short-term flooding in the low-lying areas of Sylhet and Sunamganj,” said Sarder Udoy Raihan, executive engineer of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) of the Bangladesh Water Development Board.

He added that the major rivers in the northeastern region are on a rising trend, except for the Manu and Khowai. The Ganges River is also on a rising trend, while the Padma River remains steady, a condition that is expected to persist for the next 24 hours, according to the FFWC.