Trends in extreme rainfall events of Bangladesh

Abstract

A study of the variability of the extreme rainfall events in Bangladesh during the time period 1958–2007 has been carried out in this paper. Quality-controlled homogeneous daily precipitation records of nine stations distributed over Bangladesh are used for the study. A total of 15 annual and seasonal indices of rainfall are examined. Variability of annual and seasonal rainfall trends is also assessed. The Mann–Kendall statistic and Sen's Slope model are used to reveal the trends and estimate the magnitude of change, respectively. A significant increase of annual and pre-monsoon rainfall in Bangladesh is observed. In general, an increasing trend in heavy precipitation days and decreasing trends in consecutive dry days are observed. Significant change in most of the extreme rainfall indices are observed in Northwest Bangladesh.