In the absence of reigning world and Olympic champion Bolt, Powell clocked 9.78sec in cold, blowy conditions as five of the field dipped under 10sec in the seventh leg of the Diamond League.
Powell had already run 9.72sec on the same track in 2008, while only Bolt (9.58) and American Tyson Gay (9.69) have run faster. Fellow Jamaican Nesta Carter has also run a 9.78.
"The weather wasn't perfect. It was a good race, a bit cold," said Powell. "But I managed to push my way through.
"I had a good time today: anything below 9.8sec is really good. And it's only the second race of the season, so the future can only get better as the season progresses.
"My goal is to keep training hard and run faster."
Another Jamaican, Michael Frater, was second behind Powell with a personal best of 9.88sec.
French sprinting hope Christophe Lemaitre, the European champion, clawed his way back to third in a national record-equalling time of 9.95sec after an awful start, while Carter and Norwegian Jaysuma Saidy Ndure both stopped the clock at 9.99sec.
World 800m record holder David Rudisha, in only his second race since a three-month lay-off for a foot injury, seemed to bolt slightly too early in winning the men's 800m, his pacesetter Sammy Tangui blasting through the first lap in 49.50sec.
Rudisha then upped the pace through the 300m mark, building up a 15-metre lead on the rest of the field.
But the 22-year-old Kenyan tied up after rounding the final bend into the home stretch and eventually finished in 1:44.15, some way off his world record of 1:41.01.
European champion Marcin Lewandowski of Poland pipped Moroccan Amine Laalou for second, while current world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa came in eighth, more than 4sec off the pace.
"I felt good in the race. I had a good kick during the first 300m and felt strong afterwards," said Rudisha.
Mulaudzi's South African team-mate Caster Semenya, the current world women's 800m champion, suffered an equally disastrous outing in the 1500m.
Semenya, back competing fully after a controversial enforced lay-off because of doubts over her gender, trailed in last almost 11sec off American Morgan Uceny's winning time of 4:05.52.
Teddy Tamgho equalled his season's tally at one apiece with world champion Phillips Idowu in the men's triple jump, the Frenchman managing a best of 17.91m to the Briton's 17.52.
Botswana's Amantle Montsho (50.23sec) was in full control of the women's 400m from the off, the USA's reigning world champion Sanya Richards-Ross clocking a season's best 50.61sec for second.
There were also victories for Olympic champions Andreas Thorkilsden (88.19m - javelin) and Dayron Robles (13.12sec - 110m hurdles), while Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie claimed the men's pole vault with a best of 5.83m.
But reigning double world champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia suffered a disappointing sixth place (1.90m) in the women's high jump won by Russian Anna Chicherova (1.95).
Vincent Kiprop Chepkok ensured Kenyan victory in the men's 5000m, clocking a meet record of 12:59.13 ahead of in-form Ethiopian Imane Merga in a sprint finish.
