The ongoing moderate heat wave may continue past the first week of June when it starts raining, meteorologists said on Sunday.
They said that at least six heat waves swept over the country’s north, the north-west and the capital in two months. Heat now feels severe as the humidity level is high and there is almost no rainfall, they added.
At least three heat waves in April and two in May already swept over the country. Another heat wave is now sweeping over Jaipurhat, Noakhali, Comilla, Rangamati, Rajshahi, Chuadanga, Jessore, Khulna and Satkhira and this might continue until it starts raining, the Met Office in Dhaka said.
The highest temperature in Dhaka on Sunday was recorded at 36 degrees Celsius while the highest temperature in the country on the days was recorded at 37.6 degrees Celsius in Rajshahi, the Met Office said.
The rainfall in May has reduced by two-thirds in comparison with the correspending period in 2011, said meteorologist Shadekul Alam.
The Met Office as of Sunday recorded 111 millimetres of rainfall in May while the figure for May 2011 was 231 millimetres.
Heat feels severe mainly because of less rainfall and high humidity, Shadekul said adding that the humidity was recorded between 70 per cent and 90 per cent in recent days. ‘In Dhaka, the humidity was 86 per cent at 6:00am on Sunday.’
He said that the day temperature would come down with the rains that usually begin in the first week of June.
Another meteorologist, Hafizur Rahman, said that a mild-to-moderate heat wave was sweeping over Dhaka, Khulna and Barisal divisions and the regions of Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Pabna, Noakhali and Chudanga and it might continue into the first week of June. Hafizur added that less rainfall was not abnormal at this time of the year.
-With New Age input
