Hundreds of millions of people in South and Southeast Asia were suffering on Monday from a punishing heat wave that has forced schools to close, disrupted agriculture, and raised the risk of heat strokes and other health complications.
The weather across the region in April is generally hot, and comes before Asia’s annual summer monsoon, which dumps rain on parched soil.
In Bangladesh, where schools and universities are closed this week, temperatures in some areas have soared above 107 degrees Fahrenheit, or 42 degrees Celsius.
“Due to increasing moisture incursion, the discomfort may increase” over the next 72 hours, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said in a notice on Monday.
In Dhaka, the capital, the humidity was 73 percent, and many areas in the country have experienced daily power outages.
Organizations:
Bangladesh Meteorological Department
Locations:
South, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, Dhaka