United News of Bangladesh

Delhi remained gripped by a severe heatwave on Wednesday, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for the capital. Temperatures across various parts of the city ranged between 40.9°C and 45.0°C, while the heat index—which factors in both temperature and humidity—climbed to a sweltering 51.9°C. However, some relief is on the horizon for northwest India, with the IMD forecasting a drop in temperatures starting June 14. While the heatwave persists in areas like West Rajasthan and its surroundings, the department expects temperatures to ease gradually from mid-June. In its latest update on X, the IMD said: “No significant change in maximum temperatures likely over East India during the next 24 hours, followed by a gradual fall of 2–3°C over the next three days, with stability thereafter. No significant changes expected over the rest of the country.” Delhi May See Cooler Weather Post June 13 An IMD official indicated that temperatures in Delhi could decline after Friday, possibly due to an approaching western disturbance. “The intense heat will likely persist through Thursday. A western disturbance is expected to impact northwest India from the night of June 13, potentially bringing light showers and thunderstorms to Delhi,” PTI quoted senior IMD scientist Naresh Kumar as saying. India braces for hotter summer with increased heatwave days: Weather Office As per IMD data recorded at 5:30 pm, Ayanagar was the hottest part of Delhi at 45°C, followed by Palam (44.5°C), Ridge (43.6°C), Pitampura (43.5°C), Lodi Road (43.4°C), Safdarjung (43.3°C), and Mayur Vihar (40.9°C). Although the red alert remains in effect for Delhi today, forecasters expect conditions to ease beginning Friday night. Meanwhile, Delhi registered its highest electricity demand of the summer—8,231 MW—at 10:55 pm on Wednesday, according to real-time data from the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC), PTI reported. Punjab on Red Alert for June 12–13 Punjab also continues to face extreme heat, with dry conditions and above-normal temperatures persisting. The IMD has issued a red alert for June 12 and 13, advising people to take precautions against heat-related health risks. “Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely to persist across northwest India, including the western Himalayan region, until June 13 and gradually subside thereafter,” stated the IMD bulletin. Southern States Expect Heavy Rainfall In contrast to the scorching north, parts of southern India are expected to experience significant rainfall. Humanitarian funding for heatwave victims: EU providing Bangladesh Tk 2.22 crore Heavy Rain Alert for 10 Telangana Districts The IMD has issued a heavy rain warning for 10 districts in Telangana on June 12. These include Adilabad, Kumaram Bheem Asifabad, Jagtial, Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Wanaparthy, Narayanpet, and Jogulamba Gadwal. The bulletin also mentioned the likelihood of isolated thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds across all districts in the state. Karnataka to Receive Rain Till June 17 The southwest monsoon, which had briefly weakened, has regained strength and brought rainfall to various parts of Karnataka since Thursday morning. According to the IMD, most districts are expected to see “widespread” rain over the next seven days. Coastal and north interior Karnataka will continue to receive heavy rain through June 17, while south interior Karnataka is forecasted to see “fairly widespread” showers until June 14, intensifying to “widespread” rainfall over the following three days. Source: With inputs from Hindustan Times 

People of 27 upazilas across nine coastal districts of Bangladesh were hit by a three to six feet storm surge caused by Cyclone Yaas Wednesday. State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman said this at a media briefing in Dhaka. Yaas moved inland into India's Odisha from the Bay of Bengal in the morning, but Bangladesh remained largely unscathed. However, people in districts such as Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Noakhali and Laxmipur have been affected by the high tide, Enamur said. At least two deaths were reported in Bangladesh and thousands of people in 200 villages were marooned as their homes, shops and farms were flooded by tidal surges. The "very severe cyclonic storm" packed sustained winds of 130-140 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 155 kph when it made landfall, the India Meteorological Department said. Also read: Cyclone Yaas: 2 deaths reported in Bangladesh, 5 in India The affected upazilas include Shyamnagar, Asashuni, Koyra, Dakop, Paikgachha, Sharankhola, Mongla, Morelganj, Mathbaria, Barguna Sadar, Patharghata, Amtali, Patuakhali Sadar, Galachipa, Rangabali, Dashmina, Mirzaganj, Kolapara, Charfashion, Monpura, Tajumuddin, Dawlatkhan, Borhanuddin, Bhola Sadar, Hatia, Ramgati and Kamalnagar, Enamur informed. The government rushed 16,500 packets of dry food to the affected residents of these areas, he said.

At least two deaths were reported Wednesday in Bangladesh and five in India  as Cyclone Yaas triggered storms and floods. Reports sent by UNB correspondents indicate that dozens of houses have been damaged and low-lying areas inundated, cutting off road communication in some areas. In Bhola, a man was killed after being hit by a falling tree branch during a storm triggered by Yaas in Lalmohan upazila of Bhola on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Abu Taher, 48, a local farmer. Bhola Deputy Commissioner Md Tawfiq-E-Lahi Chowdhury said Tk 20,000 has been provided to Taher’s family as assistance. Bhola has been seeing drizzles and strong wind since Wednesday morning. Cyclone Yaas has made landfall in India’s Odisha. Also read: 5 killed, damages incurred as cyclone Yaas completes landfall in eastern India Child drowns in Bagerhat Meanwhile, four-year-old Jinia died this afternoon after drowning near her house in Morrelganj upazila of Bagerhat. Morrelganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Delwar Hossain said that the roads and drains of the Upazila have been inundated due to an unusual increase in the water level of Panguchi River. Jinia fell into the overflowing drain and drowned, he said. Meanwhile, at least 5,000 families in Sarankhola, Morrelganj and Mongla upazilas have been stranded today as water level in the rivers adjacent to these places have gone up due to the impact of Cyclone Yaas. Besides, an embankment in Mongla was damaged at three places due to excessive tidal pressure leaving at least 500 families stranded in Kainmari, Sundartala, Kaltala, Jaymoni and South Kaimari villages of the upazila on Wednesday afternoon. Also read: Cyclone Yaas: 2 reported dead in Bangladesh Low-lying areas inundated in Khulna Low-lying areas in Koyra, Dacope and Paikgachha upazilas of Khulna were inundated by tidal surge triggered by Cyclone Yaas. The residents of the upazilas have been experiencing light rains or drizzles since Wednesday noon and the local administration has opened over 1,000 cyclone shelters. The local Met Office, meanwhile, recorded 21mm rainfall in the past two days.

Five people were killed on Wednesday after cyclonic storm Yaas hit the coastal area of the eastern Indian states of West Bengal and Odisha, local media reported. The cyclone made landfall with marginally lower intensity with a wind speed of 130-140 km/ph. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone has completed landfall and is likely to move north-northwestwards and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm during the next six hours. Officials said the high tidal waves breached embankments in West Bengal and Odisha coast, with a total of five deaths reported in the two states on Wednesday. In West Bengal, a youth who had moved to a cyclone shelter in the locality had come out of the shelter in Ramnagar 2 block of East Midnapore when the storm hit and he was drowned, local media reportd said. Two other people are reported to be killed in the coastal town of Digha in West Bengal, with one of them dying in a building collapse and another dragged out to sea, the state's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said. In the state of Odisha, two deaths have occurred. "One person was killed in Panchapalli village of Keonjhar district in Odisha after a tree fell on him, while the body of a 15-year-old boy was found in a pond at Jagannath Khunta village in Mayurbhanj district," media reports quoted local officials as having said. On Tuesday night two people were also electrocuted in West Bengal's Hooghly district during a tornado ahead of the cyclone. Besides, damages have been reported in both states. Around 20,000 mud houses and temporary shelters were either destroyed or damaged, as seawater entered residential areas and inundated low-lying areas in Digha of West Bengal. In Odisha, trees have been uprooted in Bhadrak district and some areas have been flooded. The local government has warned people to stay indoors as heavy rains are likely to continue. Authorities of Odisha have shifted over half a million people from low-lying areas, while as in West Bengal around 1.15 million people were evacuated from the coastal areas and shifted to rescue shelters. Chief ministers of both states are continuously monitoring the situation and holding review meetings with the disaster management officials. India's federal government has alerted navy teams and the air force to assist the local governments in relief and rescue operations. Meanwhile, 115 teams of India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the affected areas to clear roads of fallen trees and evacuate people from coastal villages and towns. Last week cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc in India's coastal areas, killing many people in Karnataka, Goa and Kerala Maharashtra. At least 70 people were also killed after barge P305 sank off Mumbai due to the cyclone.

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated Tuesday in low-lying areas of two Indian states and moved to cyclone shelters to escape a powerful storm barreling toward the eastern coast. Cyclone Yaas is set to turn into a “very severe cyclonic storm” with sustained wind speeds of up to 177 kilometers per hour (110 miles per hour), the India Meteorological Department said. The cyclone is expected to make landfall early Wednesday in Odisha and West Bengal states. The cyclone coming amid a devastating coronavirus surge complicates India’s efforts to deal with both just 10 days after Cyclone Tauktae hit India’s west coast and killed more than 140 people. Read: Yaas intensifies into severe cyclonic storm Thousands of emergency personnel have been deployed in coastal regions of the two states for evacuation and any possible rescue operations, said S.N. Pradhan, director of India’s National Disaster Response Force. India’s air force and navy were also on standby to carry out relief work. Fishing trawlers and boats have been told to take shelter until further notice as forecasters warned of high tidal waves. In West Bengal, authorities were scrambling to move tens of thousands of people to cyclone shelters. Officials said at least 20 districts in the state will feel the brunt of the storm. Last May, nearly 100 people died in Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm in more than a decade to hit eastern India, including West Bengal state. It flattened villages, destroyed farms and left millions without power in eastern India and Bangladesh. “We haven’t been able to fix the damage to our home from the last cyclone. Now another cyclone is coming, how will we stay here?” said Samitri, who uses only one name. Read: After Tauktae, India braces for Cyclone Yaas In Odisha, a state already battered by coronavirus infections, authorities evacuated nearly 15,000 people living along the coast and moved them to cyclone shelters, senior officer Pradeep Jena said. In a televised address Monday, the state’s chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, appealed to people being moved to cyclone shelters to wear double masks and maintain social distancing. He asked authorities to distribute masks to the evacuated people. “We have to face both the challenges simultaneously,” Patnaik said.

A severe cyclone is roaring in the Arabian Sea off southwestern India with winds of up to 140 kph (87 mph), already causing heavy rains and flooding that have killed at least six people, officials said Sunday. Cyclone Tauktae, the season’s first major storm, is expected to make landfall early Tuesday in Gujarat state, a statement by the India Meteorological Department said. The massive storm will likely hamper India’s fight against a coronavirus surge that’s sweeping the country with devastating death tolls, as virus lockdown measures may slow relief work and damage from the storm could potentially destroy roads and cut vital supply lines. In areas along the Arabian Sea coast, four people were killed and 73 villages badly damaged on Sunday, according to the southwestern Karnataka state’s disaster management authority. A woman was killed when a coconut tree fell on her and a man riding a scooter was hit by an uprooted electric pole in the western state of Goa lashed by stormy winds and heavy rains, said Pramod Sawant, the state’s top elected official. Nearly 2,500 government rescuer workers have been deployed in six states on Cyclone Tauktae’s path — Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa — equipped with wireless radios, satellite phones, cutters and tools needed for post-cyclone operations. The storm, moving at a speed of 11 kph (7 mph), was currently 660 kilometers (410 miles) south-southeast of Veraval in Gujarat state, the India Meteorological Department said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed with officials the preparedness of states to deal with the cyclone, a government statement said. The region is no stranger to devastating cyclones, but changing climate patterns have caused them to become more intense, rather than more frequent. Last cyclone season, K.J. Ramesh, the former chief of India’s weather agency, said the increased ferocity of the storms is caused by the temperature of the sea’s surface. Warm ocean water is where storms get their energy, and the amount of heat trapped in the top 700 meters (2,300 feet) of the seas has increased.

The Indian capital on Friday recorded its chilliest New Year's day in 15 years, with the lowest minimum temperature dipping to 1.1 degrees Celsius, amid a severe cold wave across the northern part of the country.

A deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining area has intensified into the cyclonic storm "Burevi."