Bay of Bengal low triggers mild heat wave sweeping Bangladesh

Parts of Bangladesh are experiencing sweltering heat amid a spell of dry weather at the peak of the monsoon season.

A mild heat wave has gripped several regions of the country, including Dhaka, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said in a weather bulletin on Monday.

The formation of a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal has further intensified the humidity in the air.

The highest temperature in the country was recorded at 38.2 degrees Celcisus in Jashore. Meanwhile, the mercury rose to 36.5 degrees Celcius in the capital.

"There is a low over the sea. Rainfall has also been relatively low. As such, the weather is getting hotter,” Senior Meteorologist Bazlur Rashid said.

But the Met Office has forecast rain over the next 24 hours. Light to moderate rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram divisions and at a few places over Rajshahi, Rangpur, Dhaka, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls elsewhere, it said.

The axis of monsoon trough runs through Punjab, Hariyana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal to Assam across central Bangladesh. One of its associated troughs extends up to North Bay, according to the Met Office.

Monsoon is fairly active over the southern part of Bangladesh but it is less active elsewhere and moderate over the North Bay.