Winter in Bangladesh not over yet, another cold wave coming

A warmer condition for over a week in the country gives an impression that the winter is going to end but meteorologists say mercury may fall again from Tuesday next.

They also said a mild cold wave is likely to grip the country on Thursday or Friday while another may hit Bangladesh at the end of this month.

The weather experts, however, said the people of Bangladesh are experiencing a lower intensity of cold this winter.

They said the temperature is higher than it was in previous years during December and January.

According to a recent report released by Global Climate Risk Index 2019, Bangladesh is the seventh most affected country in the world due to “extreme weather events” over 20 years between 1998 and 2017.

The report also said 407 people died in Bangladesh in 2017 due to extreme weather-related events, while the country suffered an economic loss of about US $2,826.68 million during the period.

Talking to UNB, Bazlur Rashid, a meteorologist at Bangladesh Meteorology Department, said the country has been experiencing a warmer condition for over a week due to westerly disturbance.

He said the lowest temperature 11.6°C was recorded in Naogaon while the highest 31.7°C in Cox’s Bazar on Saturday.

Also Read - Winter chill likely to abate from Sunday

Bazlur said the lowest temperature on January 9 last year was 9.6°C at Tentulia while the highest 27.6°C at Teknaf.

He said the average temperature in Dhaka was 18.8°C on Saturday while it was 15.5°C last year on the same day.

Bazlur said the country was experiencing 2–7° higher temperature than normal while Dhaka 6.5° on Saturday. 

As per their analysis, Bazlur said January is the coldest month of Bangladesh historically.

“But the country is now experiencing a summer like weather as the wind is carrying moisture from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea which is blocking the flow of cold wind. We call it westerly disturbance.”

He said Bangladesh has been witnessing comparatively warmer winters for a decade, with the gradual fall in cold intensity while the country’s overall temperature has marked around 1.2°C rise during the period.

“There’s no exception this winter, too. The mercury is not falling to the level it should be at this time. The temperature is showing an uptrend from the end of December,” the meteorologist observed.

Meteorologist Md Aftab Uddin said a warmer condition has been prevailing across the country due to a strong influence of westerly in Kashmir, Himalayas and Rajasthan areas. “That’s why northwesterly wind flow that brings cold has been obstructed.”

Besides, he said, moisture in the wind has increased due to the influence of a lower-level westerly, creating an uneasy and warmer condition.

“This situation will end within 2-3 days and the night temperature may start falling from Tuesday night,” Aftab said.

'Another cold wave may sweep the country'

He said a mild cold wave may sweep over the country from Thursday or Friday and it will persist for some days. “The temperature in Dhaka is unlikely to fall significantly during the cold wave.”

Aftab another cold wave may come during the last week of this month which will have influence mainly on the country’s northern region. 

He said this year the winter began normally in early November. “We usually call December, January and February as the winter season. Since the winter began early this season, the temperature may continue to rise from the second week of February.”

Aftab said the temperature came down to below 6°C during February last year in different areas, including Rangpur, but it may not happen this year.

Aftab said the winter should persist till the last week of February as per the normal behaviour of the weather.