Gusty wind, rain disrupt city life

A nor’wester took the city by surprise yesterday at 4 pm. Though the rainfall was only 18.5 mm, the driving winds peaked to 46 kmph, forcing the commuters to rush for cover.
It was only the second afternoon that a Kalbaishakhi (nor’wester) hit the city this year, meteorological department sources said.
High winds with rain were reported across the country—from Rangpur in the north to Satkhira in the southwest region. The winds were said to have been caused by a westerly disturbance over the region from Bihar to the Gangetic plains of West Bengal.
There was only 5 mm of rainfall on Tuesday afternoon with high winds.
The same weather may be witnessed today (Thursday) afternoon and may continue over the next couple of days, the meteorological department sources said.
Since there was not much of a warning, barring the humidity and a sudden dust storm, commuters were caught unaware by  the appearance of the nor’wester. Rickshaws and CNG-powered vehicles became scarce, putting pressure on the limited number of buses plying on the streets.
People were seen scrambling for cover to escape the driving rains in busy commercial hubs like Karwanbazar.
Though the rains were not heavy, puddles were formed on several city streets due to the poor drainage system. This should serve as a notice for the city authorities to prepare for waterlogging problems in the first half of June, when the south-western monsoons arrive across the country.
The storms brew in the warm waters of the Arabian Sea, the met sources added.

Gusty wind, rain disrupt city life

A norwester took the city by surprise yesterday at 4 pm. Though the rainfall was only 18.5 mm, the driving winds peaked to 46 kmph, forcing the commuters to rush for cover. It was only the second afternoon that a Kalbaishakhi (norwester) hit the city this year, meteorological department sources said. High winds with rain were reported across the countryfrom Rangpur in the north to Satkhira in the southwest region. The winds were said to have been caused by a westerly disturbance over the region from Bihar to the Gangetic plains of West Bengal. There was only 5 mm of rainfall on Tuesday afternoon with high winds. The same weather may be witnessed today (Thursday) afternoon and may continue over the next couple of days, the meteorological department sources said. Since there was not much of a warning, barring the humidity and a sudden dust storm, commuters were caught unaware by the appearance of the norwester. Rickshaws and CNG-powered vehicles became scarce, putting pressure on the limited number of buses plying on the streets. People were seen scrambling for cover to escape the driving rains in busy commercial hubs like Karwanbazar. Though the rains were not heavy, puddles were formed on several city streets due to the poor drainage system. This should serve as a notice for the city authorities to prepare for waterlogging problems in the first half of June, when the south-western monsoons arrive across the country. The storms brew in the warm waters of the Arabian Sea, the met sources added.