April stood out as a month of extreme weather as temperature hit 35 years high on the last day of the month on Tuesday amidst an unprecedented heatwave continuing for 32 consecutive days until today.
While the ceaseless heatwave left swathes of central, western, south-western and northern Bangladesh parched, a rather prolonged wet spell soaked certain areas in north-eastern region throughout April.
The heatwave is likely to start losing strength from early next week, when a flash flood is warned in parts of the north-eastern region.
On Tuesday, the country鈥檚 highest temperature of 43.8C was recorded in Jashore with the heat became searing amidst up to 18 hours a day load shedding in some areas.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department confirmed that it was the hottest day since 1989, the year Bogura saw its day temperature rise to 44C on April 21.
The inhabitants of south western district Jashore, however, passed their hottest day ever on Tuesday, according to the BMD data.
Ever since the BMD started keeping record 76 years ago in 1948, Jashore saw its day temperature hit 43.8C one more time on April 2, 1963.
The day temperature in the northern district of Rajshahi, on the other hand, hit 43C on Tuesday, the hottest day since 1995.
People in the rural areas of Rajshahi suffered in crippling power crisis spending up to 18 hours without electricity as power outages occurred as frequently as 20 times a day, reported 抖阴精品 staff correspondent in Rajshahi.
鈥榃e get electricity for maximum six hours a day,鈥� said Moffazzal Hossain, a schoolteacher in Balanagar of Bagmara.
Ziaur Rahman, a farmer in the same village, told 抖阴精品 that he counted 20 power outages a day as he desperately waited for electricity to return after every outage to save his dying boro fields and betel leaf gardens.
鈥楳any rice fields developed cracks for days now,鈥� said Khalilur Rahman, a member of Jogipara Union Parishad of Bagmara upazila.
On Tuesday, load shedding peaked at 2,141MW at 1:00am against 14,058MW generated against the demand of 16,300MW.
Bangladesh鈥檚 current installed power generation capacity is more than 27,000MW, excluding 3,000MW of captive power.
The Power Division urged people to practise some austerity measures to tackle the power crisis, including keeping shopping malls and commercial institutions closed after 8:00pm.
The division also requested shops, shopping malls, petrol pumps and CNG stations to use minimum electricity for illumination. The temperature at air conditioners must be maintained at 25C or above, the PD said, urging people to refrain from illegal power use.
It advised people to use less electricity and more energy efficient electrical equipment and devices.聽聽聽
Acute power crisis, together with the excessive heat, led to the death of thousands of poultry birds and eventual shutdown of poultry farms in large numbers, causing a loss of Tk 200 crore to small poultry farmers in the second half of April.
Agriculturists also warned that extreme heat, accompanied by drought, could decimate crop production, including boro output.
The temperature in Dhaka rose to 64-year-high on April 29 as it hit 40.5C.
Individually collected temperature data showed that in some parts of Dhaka the temperature reached as high as 44C on April 25. The actual feeling, however, would be far higher if humidity is factored in.
On Tuesday, 15 districts were, including the entire divisions of Rajshahi and Khulna, got baked at 40C or higher temperature, the largest area covered by a severe to very severe heat wave since the ongoing heat spell began on March 31.
A mild heatwave swept over the rest of the country.
The heatwave, however, is likely to start retreating from today, the BMD said, with forecasts of rain over parts of coastal and central Bangladesh.
In a stark contrast to how weather acted over most of Bangladesh, parts of Sylhet observed far higher than usual rain in April.
Out of the eight stations of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre in Sylhet district tasked with monitoring rainfall, seven witnessed far more rain than usual in April.
Jaflong recorded 374 per cent excess rainfall with 859mm of rain recorded in April against the normal average of 181.3mm.
Zakiganj witnessed 218 per cent excess rainfall, followed by over 42 per cent excess rain recorded in Lalakhal and 36 per cent excess rain witnessed in Sheola.
About 40mm of rain was recorded in Jaflong, Zakiganj, Lalakhal and Sheola on Tuesday, the hottest day so far this year. On certain days, some of these stations witnessed 125mm of rainfall in April.
While almost a third of the Meghna basin witnessed above normal rain, there was almost no rainfall in the Brahmaputra and Ganges basins during April.
On Tuesday afternoon, the flood forecasting centre said that the Surma River at Kanaighat, Lubhacchara River at Lubhachhara, Sarigowain River at Sarighat and Gowainghat might flow above their danger marks in the next 72 hours.
The forecast of flood, however, is not the outcome of rainfall inside the country. Floods in the northeastern region are always triggered by heavy rains upstream.
The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday afternoon predicted heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in Bangladesh鈥檚 upstream over the next five days.
The death toll from heatstroke climbed to 11 with one new death recorded between Monday and Tuesday by the government.
In unofficial estimates, heatstroke killed more than 50 people.
