The climate in Bangladesh

Climate zone: The northern parts of Bangladesh are in the subtropics, the southern regions are in the tropics.

The climate in Bangladesh is very warm, with an annual average of 30 degrees, but has few truly tropical and sticky months. It is warm or hot yearlong. The warmest and rainiest part of the country is Khulna. The coldest is Sylhet. Due to less rain, the best time for traveling is from November to March. Most precipitation falls from May to September.

Temperature records of the last 76 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1947 to December 2023 was reported by the Chittagong Airport weather station. In August 2020, the record temperature of 39.5 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 16 weather stations in Bangladesh below 1,300 meters altitude, was recorded in 1978 with an average temperature of 29.2 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 28.5 degrees Celsius.

The coldest day in these 76 years was reported by the Ishwardi weather station. Here the temperature dropped to 14.2 °C in March 2020. Ishwardi lies at an altitude of 14 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 2023 with an average temperature of 17.2 °C. In Bangladesh, it is usual to have about 4.3 degrees more at 21.5 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in July 1954. With 61.3 mm per day, the Saidpur weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 76 years. Incidentally, the region with the most rainfall for the whole year is around Sylhet. The driest region is near Ishwardi.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average. There are 16 stations in Bangladesh itself. In 2 cases, neighboring but nearby weather stations were also used to obtain more accurate values.