27 Bangladesh districts experience mild heatwave that may spread

Scorching heat has once again taken over parts of the country as a low is forecast in the Bay

A mild heatwave has been sweeping over 27 districts including Dhaka and may spread to other regions, the Met Office has said.

The forecast for Sunday said day and night temperatures might rise over the next 24 hours.

The heatwave is blowing across 18 districts in the Khulna and Rajshahi divisions, and Dhaka, Madaripur, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Moulvibazar, Chandpur, Feni and Patuakhali.

The searing heat has once again brought city life to its knees.

Abdul Wahab, who arrived at a hospital in Agargaon to check on a relative, said: “There’s no end in sight for this heat. It seldom rains, sometimes there's a bit of wind -- but there’s no reprieve from the heat.”

Suraiya Islam, a student at a private school in Khulna, said: “Sometimes it cools off a bit. But it has been extremely hot in Khulna for the last two days. It’s tough to even leave the house. We must consider where to find a fan or an air conditioner.”

Meteorologist Manowar Hossain said: “Forecast says a low might form in the Bay ahead. It’s natural for heatwaves to occur in May. The heatwave we’re experiencing now is a mild one.”

Meteorologists consider the 36-38 degrees Celsius threshold a mild heatwave and 38-40 degrees Celsius a moderate heatwave. Temperatures beyond 40 degrees Celsius are categorised as severe heatwaves.

On Saturday, meteorologist Hafizur Rahman said a low-pressure system might form over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining area in the following 48 hours and it might intensify as time went on.

The forecast on Sunday morning said an extension of this low was located in West Bengal and adjacent areas.

In the forecast for the month of May, the Met Office mentioned that one or two lows might occur in the Bay this month, one of which could intensify into a cyclone in the second week. The name Mocha was proposed by Yemen for the storm.

Before that happens, showers are predicted to be few and far between with the mercury likely to climb.

As of 6 am on Sunday, the highest temperature in the country was recorded in Chuadanga -- 37.1 degrees Celsius.

A mild heatwave swept across the country from Apr 4-12 before intensifying from Apr 13-22. Another mild heatwave persisted from Apr 24-30.

The mercury rose as high as 40.6 degrees Celsius in Dhaka in April while Ishwardi recorded the highest temperature of 43 degrees Celsius on Apr 17.

The hot temperatures continued in five districts at the start of May before the weather cooled off a bit. But the heat picked up again on Saturday.

The Met Office forecast for the next 24 hours says the weather might remain largely dry with temporary partly cloudy skies over the country and chances of rain or thundershowers at one or two places in the Sylhet division.