Heavy rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning hit Dhaka shortly after midnight on Tuesday (September 30), resulting in the highest recorded rainfall in the country within a six-hour period.

The rain began with light drizzles around midnight but intensified quickly. Around 2:00 am, the sky lit up with several intense flashes of lightning, followed by loud thunderclaps that woke many residents. Reports also emerged of temporary power outages in some areas during the storm.

According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, 132 millimeters of rain were recorded in Dhaka between midnight and 6:00 am on Wednesday (October 1), the highest in the country during that time frame. Over the past 24 hours, Dhaka received a total of 203 millimeters of rain — likely the highest single-day rainfall in the city this year.

The weather office has forecast the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall across several parts of the country starting from Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Fire Service control room reported a few incidents related to lightning strikes and small fires.

One such incident was reported in Sutrapur, where a lightning strike during the rain caused a fire on an electric pole. However, it was extinguished quickly. There were also reports of gas-related fire alerts in Sadarghat and Azimpur, but firefighters found no active flames upon arrival.

Shariful Islam, a resident of Old Dhaka, said he had to carry an umbrella while going to the mosque for Fajr prayers due to the heavy rain. “I woke up to the loud sound of thunder and then saw continuous rainfall,” he said.

Fire Service duty officer Rakibul Hasan said around 7:00 am that apart from minor incidents, there had been no major emergencies in the capital during the night.

Elsewhere, heavy rainfall was also reported in Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Mymensingh divisions. The weather office has predicted rain to continue throughout the day in these areas.

Although a low-pressure system has formed in the western Bay of Bengal, Meteorologist Tariful Newaz Kabir stated that it is not the cause of this current rainfall. “The rain is due to the development of a deep convective cloud system,” he explained.

According to the Met Office forecast, heavy rainfall is likely to occur in parts of Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Mymensingh divisions today. In northern districts like Bogura, rain has already begun. Rainfall between 44mm and 88mm is classified as `heavy` by meteorological standards.

This spell of rain, accompanied by gusty winds and occasional lightning, is expected to continue intermittently across the country until at least October 4.