The Bangladesh Meteorological Department on Saturday warned that the ongoing heatwave sweeping parts of the country might continue for three more days.
The heatwave began on the first day of June, which is the first month of the four-month monsoon season.
On Saturday, the country鈥檚 highest maximum day air temperature of 38.2C was recorded in Chuadanga.
The day temperature reaching or exceeding 36C constitutes a mild heatwave. The heatwave becomes moderate at 38C.
A mild to moderate heatwave was sweeping the divisions of Khulna and Barishal聽 and the districts of Rajshahi, Pabna and Madaripur.
Weather forecasters said that the persistence of heatwave in gaps of continued monsoon rain highlighted the warming of the globe.
Heatwaves are not unusual in monsoon but rare.
For instance, the BMD-published report titled Changing Climate of Bangladesh, June heatwaves occurred in six of the years in the decade between 1981 and 1990 in Dhaka division.
In the next decade, June heatwaves occurred only in two years in Dhaka. In the years between 2001 and 2010, there were no heatwaves in six years in Dhaka. But heatwaves occurred in eight years of the decade between 2011 and 2020.
In 2023, the June heatwave was particularly worse, leading to water crisis in parts of Bangladesh, including in the capital.
The historic heatwave records of other divisions showed the similar trend.
The BMD predicted light to moderate rain accompanied by temporary gusty wind at many places over Rangpur and Sylhet divisions today, at a few places over Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka and Chattogram divisions and at one or two places over Khulna and Barishal divisions with moderately heavy to heavy rain.
Chuadanga recording the highest maximum temperature denotes the heatwave existing over vast swathes with hot wind entering the district from India after travelling a long distance from Pakistan via India. The IMD predicted heatwave conditions to prevail in pockets of eastern Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Gangetic West Bengal through June 12.
The IMD also predicted rain over north-east Indian states, including very heavy rain falls in Assam and Meghalaya on June 11 and 12.
