Bangladesh braces fora week of heatwave

Staff Correspondent: The summer is still five days away according to the Bengali calendar but a mild-to-moderate heatwave is sweeping over Dhaka and most other regions of the country.
With no rain forecast, the odds of the mercury dropping are non-existent, the Met Office said.
The country’s highest temperature over the past 24 hours was recorded at 38.5 degrees Celsius in Chuadanga, while it rose as high as 37.4 degrees Celsius in Dhaka. The heat has left people around the country reeling in exhaustion.
Meteorologist Hafizur Rahman said a mild-to-moderate heatwave is sweeping over Dhaka, Khulna and Barishal divisions and the districts of Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogura, Moulvibazar, Chattogram, Rangamati, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban.
Meteorologists consider the 36-38 degrees Celsius threshold as a mild heatwave and 38-40 degrees Celsius as a moderate heatwave. Temperatures beyond 40 degrees Celsius are categorised as severe heatwaves.
Two to three moderate heatwaves might sweep across the country in the coming days along with storms. Flash floods are expected in northeastern Bangladesh by the end of the month, according to a forecast for April.