Intense heat wave sweeping across Rajshahi

An intense heat wave currently sweeping across Rajshahi is forcing people to stay indoors or seek cooler places. According to the Met office, the temperature is four to five degrees higher than the normal April temperature. Abdul Mannan, officer-in-charge of the Rajshahi meteorological office, has said the intense heat wave has been sweeping this region for the last two days.

During the same time last year, the average day temperature was between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius or below, but this year the temperature is fluctuating between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius, he added.

On Tuesday at 4 pm, the highest temperature recorded was 37.8 degrees Celsius However, the highest temperature of the year (40 degrees Celsius) recorded so far in the country was on April 29.  “There may be rain in various areas of the northern region from May 2 to 3 due to the low pressure in the Bay of Bengal,” Mannan said. Meanwhile, day labourers, rickshaw-pullers and traffic police in the city faced untold suffering in the blistering heat and had to take frequent breaks. City folks rushed to their homes soon after completion of daily work.

However, the weather has become a boon for the vendors and shops selling seasonal fruits like pineapple, green coconut, watermelon, lemon water and sugarcane as consumption of theses items has increased.

Roads, marketplaces and busy places in both rural and urban areas were deserted as people tried to remain indoors to escape the heat.

Prof. Sultanul-Ul-Islam, former director of the Institute of Environmental Science of Rajshahi University, said such increases in day temperature even in early winter was due to global warming and change in global temperature.

Increases in the carbon dioxide level in air and depleting forestry is the main cause for increases in global temperature, and this has also affected the climatic pattern of the Bay of Bengal as well, he said.

Intense heat wave sweeping across Rajshahi

An intense heat wave currently sweeping across Rajshahi is forcing people to stay indoors or seek cooler places. According to the Met office, the temperature is four to five degrees higher than the normal April temperature. Abdul Mannan, officer-in-charge of the Rajshahi meteorological office, has said the intense heat wave has been sweeping this region for the last two days. During the same time last year, the average day temperature was between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius or below, but this year the temperature is fluctuating between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius, he added. On Tuesday at 4 pm, the highest temperature recorded was 37.8 degrees Celsius However, the highest temperature of the year (40 degrees Celsius) recorded so far in the country was on April 29. There may be rain in various areas of the northern region from May 2 to 3 due to the low pressure in the Bay of Bengal, Mannan said. Meanwhile, day labourers, rickshaw-pullers and traffic police in the city faced untold suffering in the blistering heat and had to take frequent breaks. City folks rushed to their homes soon after completion of daily work. However, the weather has become a boon for the vendors and shops selling seasonal fruits like pineapple, green coconut, watermelon, lemon water and sugarcane as consumption of theses items has increased. Roads, marketplaces and busy places in both rural and urban areas were deserted as people tried to remain indoors to escape the heat. Prof. Sultanul-Ul-Islam, former director of the Institute of Environmental Science of Rajshahi University, said such increases in day temperature even in early winter was due to global warming and change in global temperature. Increases in the carbon dioxide level in air and depleting forestry is the main cause for increases in global temperature, and this has also affected the climatic pattern of the Bay of Bengal as well, he said.