Home
+
The southwestern district has consistently registered the highest temperatures of this season
Published : 27 Apr 2024, 11:41 PM
Chuadanga has posted the highest temperature of Bangladesh this season at 42.7 degrees Celsius for the second day in a row.
Elsewhere in the country, temperatures dropped slightly on Saturday, and Chuadanga may also see a fall in the mercury on Sunday, said meteorologist Shaheenul Islam.
But the days will become hotter in most parts on Sunday, he warned.
“Temperatures will hover around 43 degrees Celsius in this period.”
Ishwardi recorded 43 degrees Celsius temperature last year, the second highest on record.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said a very severe heatwave was sweeping over the district of Chuadanga on Saturday.
Temperature level was severe in the districts of Rajshahi, Pabna, Sirajganj, Jashore and Kushtia.
Dhaka and Barishal divisions and the rest of Rajshahi and Khulna divisions and the districts of Dinajpur, Rangamati, Chandpur, Feni and Bandarban were experiencing mild to moderate heatwave.
Temperatures began to increase at the end of March amid a shortfall of rain. The heatwave started on Mar 31 and intensified slowly.
The BMD has records dating back to 1958, according to meteorologist Shaheenul . The longest heatwave on record in those 75 years was 23 days in 2023. It lasted for the final 18 days of April and the first five of May.
“The heatwave started on Mar 31 and has continued since then.”
The current heatwave has already lasted 28 consecutive days, becoming the longest on record.
April is typically quite hot in Bangladesh.
Meteorologist Bazlur Rashid said, “Last year, the humidity was low. This year, due to the high humidity, people are sweating more and they are more uncomfortable. Usually rain falls around this time due to a low pressure system in the west.”
“This year there has been less rainfall. As there has been little rain or Kalbaishakhi storms, the heat is more intense.”
Samrendra Karmakar, former chairman of the National Oceanographic and Maritime Institute, says May is usually Bangladesh’s hottest month. He recalled that the highest temperature on record – 45.1 degrees Celsius – was recorded in May.
BMD data shows Bangladesh has grown hotter over the past three decades, while rainfall has dropped. It is also warmer for longer periods throughout the year. The average temperature in April has risen too.
Karmakar, a former director at the BMD, said, “Water vapour is supposed to accumulate into rain. But instead of accumulating, it is moving elsewhere. That is why it has gotten hotter.”
