Nor’wester wreaks havoc in Dhaka  

A powerful nor’wester accompanied by heavy rain and thunderstorms wreaked havoc in Dhaka last evening, disrupting communication services and affecting the lives of city dwellers. The wind velocity was 83km per hour (km/h), the highest measured so far this year. A number of trees were uprooted in the storm in Bijoy Sarani and Agargaon and on Manik Mia Avenue, bringing vehicular movement to a grinding halt and causing inconvenience to commuters. [caption id="attachment_260721" align="aligncenter" width="800"]
A tree that was uprooted during a powerful nor’wester in Dhaka Sunday evening Baizid Haque Joarder/Dhaka Tribune[/caption] “The velocity of gust was measured at 83km/h. But the amount of precipitation was lower than that of gust. Around 5mm of rainfall was recorded until 6pm in the city,” said Shahinur Rahman, a meteorologist. [caption id="attachment_260722" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Hundred of trees were uprooted during a powerful nor’wester in Dhaka Sunday evening, crashing numerous vehicles and disrupting communication services Baizid Haque Joarder/Dhaka Tribune[/caption] “Based on the velocity of winds, nor’westers can be classified into three categories such as low, moderate and severe. The velocity of a low-level nor’wester ranges from 61 to 90 km/h, moderate from 91 to 120km/h, and severe from 121 to 149km/h.” The average wind speed of a tornado is 150km/h or more, he added. This article was first published on banglatribune.com