In Bangladesh, April was the warmest month on record since weather measurements began in the country in 1948, a national weather department official told AFP on Wednesday.

„April 2024 was the warmest month since 1948 in terms of high temperature days and affected areas across the country,” said Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik, chief meteorologist of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Bangladesh is being hit by an extreme heat wave, which has prompted authorities to close schools across the country. Temperatures will only start to drop from Thursday.

„This year, the heat wave has affected about 80% of the country. We have never experienced such widespread and uninterrupted heat waves before,” Mallik said.

According to the chief meteorologist, the average daily temperature in April recorded between 1981-2010 was 33.2 degrees Celsius, while this year, weather stations across the country recorded temperatures two to eight degrees higher.

The usual April storms that precede the monsoon and usually cool South Asian countries before summer did not occur, he added.

„On average, there is 130.2 millimetres of rainfall in April in Bangladesh. But this month, only one millimetre of rain has been recorded on average,” he said, adding that his department is trying to document a possible record low rainfall for April.

AGERPRES