Sudden hailstorm in Sherpur leaves paddy and banana farmers fearing losses

A sudden hailstorm struck Sreebardi and Jhenaigati upazilas of Sherpur district at about 8:30pm on Saturday, 14 March 2026, leaving paddy and banana farmers fearing losses. According to Jagonews24's report that night, the real extent of the damage could not be assessed immediately in the dark, and the local administration and the agriculture department had begun gathering information.

Local people said dark clouds covered the sky after iftar. Gusty wind and rain began at around 8pm, and intense hail then fell suddenly in some areas. They said Jhenaigati got comparatively more hail, with heavy falls seen in Jhenaigati Sadar Bazar and in Dhanshail and Malijhikanda unions. Hail also fell in Gosaipur and Kharia Kazir Char unions of Sreebardi upazila.

Zahidul Haque Monir, convener of Voice of Jhenaigati, told Jagonews24 that the hail had holed the tin roofs of many homes and that farmers' paddy land and vegetable fields were feared damaged. The real extent of the losses could not be assessed in the dark, he said, and no one was injured.

Sohel Rana, a trader at Jhenaigati Sadar Bazar, said he had not seen hail like this with rain in the last 15 to 20 years. Rajib Kumar Roy of Dhanshail union said there had been widespread hail in his union, the hailstones were quite large and the tin roofs of several houses had been holed. He said he had heard that paddy and banana farmers had suffered damage.

Jhenaigati Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Al Amin said hail had come with the storm and rain and that the administration was gathering information. Losses in farming were a matter for the agriculture department, he said; if farmers had suffered, action would be taken to help them through agricultural incentives where that was possible.

He added that people whose homes or tin roofs were damaged could contact the upazila administration. Those who contacted the office of the upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) would be given tin and other necessary help if funds were available.

Sakhawat Hossain, deputy director of the district agriculture department, said information was being collected from various areas that night, through local representatives and field staff, to find out the real picture of the damage.

According to Banglapedia, Sherpur district is bounded on the north by the Indian state of Meghalaya. Jhenaigati upazila covers 242.07 sq km and Sreebardi 270.34 sq km, and both border Meghalaya. Jhenaigati's main crops are paddy, wheat, potato and vegetables, its main fruits jackfruit, banana and papaya, and its main exports include paddy, banana and vegetables. Sreebardi's main exports are rice, paddy, banana and vegetables, which is why a hailstorm here worries paddy and banana growers in particular.

Banglapedia explains that on hot, humid days warm wet air rises quickly, cools and forms thunderclouds that bring heavy rain or hail. In Bangladesh such intense evening storms come in March and April and are popularly known as Kalbaishakhi, or nor'westers.

In mid-March the boro rice crop is in the field. A 2021 article by Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) scientists, published by the Agricultural Information Service, gives 15 December to 15 January as the usual transplanting window for boro and says the boro season supplies 58 percent of the country's rice output. Farmers can report losses and seek advice at their upazila agriculture office.

Photo: Ayman Nakib Badhan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources: Jagonews24, Banglapedia (Sherpur District, Jhenaigati Upazila, Sreebardi Upazila, Thunderstorm), Agricultural Information Service (AIS) and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI)