What does the weather have in store for Eid-ul-Azha?

A mild heatwave is sweeping through 19 districts and may continue through the holiday

With Eid-ul-Azha only a few days away, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecast varied weather conditions across the country, with rain likely in several divisions while others expect dry spells.

Meteorologist Tariful Newaz Kabir told bdnews24.com on Monday that rain is likely over the northern and north-eastern parts of the country, including the Rangpur, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions.

He said, "It will be cloudy throughout the day with scattered rain and thundershowers. The Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions will see somewhat less rain than the north, while Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram are likely to see comparatively little rainfall."

In Dhaka specifically, he said rain is expected overnight on Wednesday, with a slight chance of showers in the morning of Thursday, and more rain likely on Friday.

Meanwhile, around 11:30am on Monday, skies over the capital darkened despite it being daytime, and heavy rain began pouring down around 11:45am.

Asked whether the rain would persist, Kabir said a local thunder cluster had been developing to the north and moving gradually southward.

"It will take about an hour at most to cross this area, give or take. The rain will last that long," he added.

Heatwave Sweeps Over 19 Districts, Set To Continue

The BMD's regular morning bulletin on Monday said light to moderate rain or thundershowers with temporary gusty or squally winds and lightning are likely at many places in the Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions, at some places in Dhaka and Chattogram, and at one or two places in Khulna and Barishal over the 24 hours from 9am.

Moderately heavy to heavy rainfall is also possible in parts of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Sylhet.

A mild heatwave is sweeping through Dhaka, Tangail, Faridpur, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Rajshahi, Pabna, Sirajganj and Patuakhali, as well as 10 districts of Khulna Division, and is likely to continue.

Day and night temperatures across the country are expected to remain largely unchanged.

The country's maximum temperature was recorded at 37.5 degrees Celsius (°C) in Rajshahi during the 24 hours leading up to 9am, while the minimum temperature stood at 19.8°C in Sylhet.

The highest rainfall over the period was 101mm in Feni, followed by 59mm in Maijdee Court in Noakhali, 51mm in Rangamati and 17mm in Dhaka.

Warning Signals For River Ports

In a special weather warning issued on Monday, the Met Office said temporary squalls accompanied by rain or thunderstorms could sweep across the Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogura and Mymensingh regions from the west or north-west at speeds of 60 to 80km per hour.

River ports in those areas have been advised to display signal No. 2.

It also warned that the Rangpur, Dinajpur, Dhaka, Tangail, Cumilla and Sylhet regions could experience gusty winds of 45 to 60km per hour with rain or thunderstorms from the west or north-west.

River ports in those regions have been asked to keep signal No.1 hoisted.