The Climate of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is located next to eastern India, at the head of the Bay of Bengal. The country is very low-lying; other than the hilly district around Chittagong in the southeast, most of the country lies below 600 ft (180m). Much of the terrain are swampy plains due to the delta of the rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra.

The country has a tropical monsoon climate similar to India. The cool season is from Nov - Feb, and the hot season from March until early June, when rain is usually in the form of thunderstorms. The main rainy season occurs during the southwest monsoon from June-Sep. Rainfall is heavy and frequent during this period.

Rainfall is abundant, with most areas receiving 1500-2000mm of rain annually. In eastern Bangladesh, rainfall is even higher, reaching up to 3500mm. Rainfall is more regular during the southwest monsoon, when it is caused by low pressure weather systems from the Bay of Bengal.

Rainfall in the period Sep-Nov is less regular. At this time, the rain is usually brought by tropical cyclones from the Bay of Bengal, which can be severe, bringing torrential rain and very strong winds. The strong winds often cause high waves and sea surges, raising the water level in the coastal areas and in the many branching water courses of the delta and causing widespread flooding in the low-lying plains.

Such storms are capable of inflicting great loss of life and destruction of crops.

Temperatures are high during the hot season but severe heat stress is rare. High humidity, however, can make the heat rather uncomfortable. The muggy, damp heat often persists throughout the wet season. Temperatures do not vary much throughout the country and do not differ a great deal through the year. In the hot season, temperatures may be slightly warmer inland as compared to the coastal areas.

There is a lot of cloudiness during the wet season (June - Sep), so that daily sunshine hours are at a minimum, about 4-5 hours a day. Sunshine hours range from 6-8 hours during the remainder of the year.

	Dhaka Month Rainfall(mm) Temperature (Celsius) Ave. Monthly Ave. No. of Days with 1mm Average Daily Lowest Recorded Highest Recorded Min Max Jan 19 1 13 24 8 31 Feb 33 2 14 29 9 33 Mar 56 3 16 32 15 38 Apr 104 5 24 34 18 40 May 190 12 25 34 20 41 Jun 317 17 25 32 23 37 Jul 439 14 26 32 24 35 Aug 309 16 26 31 24 36 Sep 240 13 26 30 22 34 Oct 175 9 25 31 15 33 Nov 190 12 25 34 20 41 Dec 317 17 25 32 23 37

	Chittagong Month Rainfall(mm) Temperature (Celsius) Ave. Monthly Ave. No. of Days with 1mm Average Daily Lowest Recorded Highest Recorded Min Max Jan 7 1 12 27 7 32 Feb 25 2 14 29 9 33 Mar 70 3 18 31 12 37 Apr 157 7 22 32 15 38 May 272 14 24 31 17 37 Jun 541 19 24 32 20 36 Jul 600 21 25 30 19 34 Aug 521 19 25 31 21 35 Sep 331 12 24 31 22 34 Oct 192 6 22 30 18 34 Nov 33 2 19 29 13 31 Dec 5 1 15 27 8 30