A mild heatwave is sweeping through Bangladesh, the weather department said on Thursday. “A mild heatwave is sweeping through the districts of Cumilla, Chandpur, Jashore and Satkhira, and it may continue,” the weather department said in its bulletin on Thursday. Besides, light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at a few places over Rangpur, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Rajshahi, Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions with moderately heavy falls at places over the country, it added. Read: Dhaka's air quality remains 'good' Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country. The weather office recorded the highest rainfall of 60mm in Khulna in 24 hours till 6am on Thursday. The highest temperature was recorded at 36.2 degrees Celsius in Cumilla and Chandpur of Chattogram division, while the lowest temperature was recorded at 24.5 degrees in Khepupara of Barishal division. Meanwhile, a low pressure area has formed over the East Central Bay and the adjoining North Bay. It is likely to intensify. The axis of monsoon trough runs through Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, the centre of the low to Assam across Southern part of Bangladesh. One of its associated troughs extends up to the Northwest Bay, as per the bulletin. Monsoon is less active over Bangladesh and weak to moderate elsewhere over the North Bay, it added.

California's chance of power outages will grow in the coming days, as the state prepares to enter the most brutal stretch yet of an ongoing heat wave, officials said Sunday. Energy demand is expected to outpace supply starting Monday evening, and predictions for Tuesday show the state rivaling its all-time high for electricity demand, said Elliot Mainzer, president and chief executive officer of the California Independent System Operator. “This is about to get significantly more intense,” Mainzer told reporters. The system operator is in charge of managing and maintaining reliability on the electric grid, a challenging job during hot weather when energy demand soars as people crank up their air conditioners. Read: California wildfires prompt evacuations amid heat wave Grid managers have several options available before power outages, like tapping backup generators, buying more power from other states and using so-called demand response programs, where people are paid to use less energy. But keeping the lights on will also require Californians to continue conserving as they have been, even as temperatures rise. Most of California’s 39 million people are facing extremely hot weather. Temperatures in the Central Valley are expected to be as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) for several days. In Los Angeles, meanwhile, temperatures topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), unusually warm temperatures for September. Energy officials and power companies have been urging people since Wednesday to use less power from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. by keeping air conditioners at 78 degrees Fahrenheit (25.5 degrees Celsius) or higher and avoiding using major appliances like ovens and dishwashers. Those so-called flex alerts have allowed the grid operator to keep the lights on so far. On Saturday night, the state used about 44,000 megawatts of electricity, Mainzer said. By Tuesday, that's supposed to ramp up to more than 50,000 megawatts, nearing record levels of energy use set in 2006. But the state would rather curb demand to avoid that number than test the power grid's capability to respond. “Our goal is to make sure that we do not reach that number," Mainzer said. During the day, California's energy grid runs on a mix of mostly solar and natural gas, as well as some imports of power from other states. But solar power begins to fall off during the late afternoon and into the evening, which is the hottest time of day in some parts of the state. Read: Spain: 10 injured while leaving stopped train near wildfire Meanwhile, some of the aging natural gas plants that California relies on for backup power aren't as reliable in hot weather. As of Sunday afternoon, three of the state's coastal power plants were experiencing partial outages, though they make up just a small fraction of the state's supply, officials said. At the same time, some hydropower resources are limited due to drought. Dry conditions and heat are hitting California as the state heads into what traditionally is the worst of the fire season, with large fires already burning and turning deadly. Scientists say climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. Several hundred thousand Californians lost power in rolling blackouts in August 2020 amid hot weather. The state avoided a similar scenario last summer. Newsom on Friday signed legislation potentially allowing the state's last remaining nuclear plant to stay open beyond its planned 2025 closure in order to ensure more power for the energy grid. On Sunday evening, nuclear power accounted for about 5% of California's energy supply.

California wildfires erupted Wednesday in rural areas, racing through bone-dry brush and prompting evacuations as the state sweltered under a heat wave that could last through Labor Day. The Route Fire in Castaic in northwestern Los Angeles County raged through about 4,625 acres (1,872 hectares) of hills containing scattered houses. Interstate 5, a major north-south route, was closed by a blaze that burned several hundred acres in only a few hours. Media reports showed a wall of flames advancing uphill and smoke billowing thousands of feet into the air while planes dumped water from nearby Castaic Lake. There were no immediate reports of damage to buildings but a mobile home park with 94 residences was evacuated. An elementary school also was evacuated. Temperatures in the area hit 107 degrees (42 Celsius) and winds gusted to 17 mph (27 kph), forecasters said. Eight firefighters were treated for heat-related problems, including six who were sent to hospitals, but all were in good condition, Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief Thomas Ewald said. More injuries were expected as crews cope with extreme heat that was expected to stretch into next week, Ewald said during a news conference Wednesday night. “Wearing heavy firefighting gear, carrying packs, dragging hose, swinging tools, the folks out there are just taking a beating," he said. Aircraft would continue to drop water and fire retardant on the blaze overnight and winds could shift to the north through the night, causing the fire to burn back on itself, Ewald said. Ewald also said there could be other fires in LA County as the searing heat continues. Bulldozers to cut firebreaks will be staffed around the county Thursday as a precaution, he said. “This is the fire that's burning right now. But we have 4,000 square miles (10,360 square kilometers) of LA County that we have to consider for tomorrow," he said. Read: Spain: 10 injured while leaving stopped train near wildfire Another fire burned at least four buildings, including a home, and prompted evacuations in the Dulzura area in eastern San Diego County near the Mexican border. It swiftly grew to more than 1,600 acres (647.5 hectares) acres and prompted evacuation orders for at least 400 homes, authorities said. State Route 94 was closed. The Mountain Empire Unified School District will be closed Thursday, officials said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that the Tecate port of entry with Mexico closed three hours early on Wednesday night because of the fire and wouldn't reopen until conditions improved to ensure “the safety of the traveling public." Travelers could continue to use the 24-hour Otay Mesa crossing. No injuries were immediately reported, but there were “multiple close calls” as residents rushed to flee, said Capt. Thomas Shoots with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “We had multiple 911 calls from folks unable to evacuate” because their homes were surrounded by the fire, Shoots told the San Diego Union-Tribune. The National Weather Service said many valleys, foothills, mountains and desert areas of the state remained under an elevated fire risk because of low humidity and high temperatures, which set several records for the day. The hottest days were expected to be Sunday and Monday. Wildfires have sprung up this summer throughout the Western states. The largest and deadliest blaze in California this year erupted in late July in Siskyou County, near the Oregon state line. It killed four people and destroyed much of the small community of Klamath River. Scientists have said climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. Across the American West, a 22-year megadrought deepened so much in 2021 that the region is now in the driest spell in at least 1,200 years.

A mild heat wave is sweeping parts of the country including Dhaka with sporadic rains doing litte to ease the temperature, the Met office said on Wednesday. A mild heat wave is sweeping over the districts of Dhaka, Pabna, Sirajgonj, Khulna, Jashore, Chudanga and Barishal and the spell may continue, accoding to a weather bulletin. Read: Dhaka's air quality remains 'good' Besides, light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at most places over Rangpur division; at many places over Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at places over the northern part of the country, it added. Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country, as per the bulletin. The weather office recorded the highest rainfall of 78mm in Sylhet in 24 hours till 6am on Wednesday. The highest temperature was recorded at 36.5 degrees Celsius in Chuadanga of Khulna division, while the lowest temperature was recorded at 22.5 degrees Celcius in Rajarhat of Rangpur division. Read: Bad weather in Black Sea slows 1st Ukrainian grain shipment Meanwhile, the axis of the monsoon trough runs through Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal to Assam across the central part of Bangladesh. Monsoon is fairly active over Bangladesh and weak to moderate elsewhere over North Bay, the BMD added.

Authorities in the Portland, Oregon region said they would keep cooling shelters open through Sunday night as a likely record-breaking heat wave brought scorching weather to the normally temperate region. At least six people are suspected to have died from hyperthermia since the hot spell began a week ago. The most recent suspected heat-related death was announced by Clackamas County officials on Saturday, Portland television station KOIN-TV reported. County officials said the elderly man died in his home, where he did not have a working air conditioner. The other five suspected hyperthermia deaths occurred earlier in the week in Multnomah, Umatilla and Marion counties. Jessica Mokert-Shibley, a spokesperson with Multnomah County, said the county, the city of Portland and other organizations would keep overnight cooling centers open through Sunday evening. Nearly 250 people used the overnight shelters on Friday night, she said. Temperatures have neared the triple digits in Portland the entire week, hitting a high of 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 Celsius) on Tuesday. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for both the Portland and Seattle, Washington, regions lasting through late Sunday evening, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 103 degrees (39 C). Shawn Weagle, a NWS meteorologist based in Portland, said Saturday that the region had likely tied its record for its longest heat wave with six consecutive days in a row topping 95 degrees (35 C). A new record could be set on Sunday, Weagle said. The temperatures have remained abnormally high at night — only dropping to about 70 degrees (21 C) — making it hard for residents to adequately cool off their homes before the sun rises, Weagle said. Many homes in the region lack air conditioning. Read: Northwestern US heat wave could have hottest day on Tuesday “It's an increasingly common issue with our heatwaves, the lack of recovery at night,” Weagle said. “That really impacts people who don't have air conditioning. It's the ‘urban island effect' — the downtown Portland core has been built up so much, and that concrete is slower to cool down overnight than a rural valley or even suburban neighborhood would.” The region's heat waves also seem to be getting stronger in general, Weagle said. He expects relief from the hot weather will come mid-week. “Right now it's looking like Tuesday, we'll start to get closer to normal but still in the 80's, and by Wednesday we should be a touch below normal temperatures,” he said. The Seattle region was slightly cooler but still topped 90 degrees (32 C) on Saturday for a fifth straight day, compared to normal temperatures in the high 70s. Weagle said people should drink plenty of water, do what they can to stay cool and check on their neighbors, particularly older people and those who are at greater risk of heat-related illnesses. Climate change is fueling longer heat waves in the Pacific Northwest, a region where weeklong heat spells were historically rare, according to climate experts. Residents and officials in the Northwest have been trying to adjust to the likely reality of longer, hotter heat waves following last summer’s deadly “heat dome” weather phenomenon that prompted record temperatures and deaths. About 800 people died in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia during that heat wave, which hit in late June and early July. The temperature at the time soared to an all-time high of 116 F (46.7 C) in Portland and smashed heat records in cities and towns across the region. Many of those who died were older and lived alone.

The temperatures in Portland, Oregon, could top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) on Tuesday, making it likely the hottest day of a week-long heat wave for the Pacific Northwest region that rarely sees such scorching weather. Forecasters issued an excessive heat warning for parts of Oregon and Washington state. Temperatures could hit the 90s (32 C) in Seattle and 110 F (37.7 Celsius) in eastern parts of Oregon and Washington. While interior parts of the states often experience high temperatures, those kind of hot blasts do not happen nearly as often in Portland and Seattle. “To have five-day stretches or a weeklong stretch above 90 degrees is very, very rare for the Pacific Northwest,” said Vivek Shandas, professor of climate adaptation at Portland State University. As the northwestern U.S. heats up, scorching temperatures in the Northeast are expected to cool in coming days. Read: China floods leave at least 12 dead, thousands evacuated Philadelphia hit 99 degrees (37 Celsius) Sunday before factoring in humidity. Newark, New Jersey, had its fifth consecutive day of 100 degrees or higher, the longest such streak since records began in 1931. Boston also hit 100 degrees, surpassing the previous daily record high of 98 degrees (36.6 Celsius) set in 1933. Residents and officials in the Northwest have been trying to adjust to the likely reality of longer, hotter heat waves following last summer’s deadly “heat dome” weather phenomenon that prompted record temperatures and deaths. In response, the Portland Housing Bureau that oversees city housing policy will require newly constructed subsidized housing to have air conditioning in the future. A new Oregon law will require all new housing built after April 2024 to have air conditioning installed in at least one room. The law already prohibits landlords in most cases from restricting tenants from installing cooling devices in their rental units.

A heat wave broiling Europe spilled northward Monday to Britain and fueled ferocious wildfires in Spain and France, which evacuated thousands of people and scrambled water-bombing planes and firefighters to battle flames in tinder-dry forests. Two people were killed in the blazes in Spain that its prime minister linked to global warming, saying, “Climate change kills.” That toll comes on top of the hundreds of heat-related deaths reported in the Iberian peninsula, as high temperatures have gripped the continent in recent days and triggered wildfires from Portugal to the Balkans. Some areas, including northern Italy, are also experiencing extended droughts. Climate change makes such life-threatening extremes less of a rarity — and heat waves have come even to places like Britain, which braced for possible record-breaking temperatures. The hot weather in the U.K. was expected to be so severe this week that train operators warned it could warp the rails and some schools set up wading pools to help children cool off. Also read: 84 die in first 3 days of Spain's heat wave In France, heat records were broken and swirling hot winds complicated firefighting in the country's southwest.   “The fire is literally exploding,” said Marc Vermeulen, the regional fire service chief who described tree trunks shattering as flames consumed them, sending burning embers into the air and further spreading the blazes. “We’re facing extreme and exceptional circumstances,” he said. Authorities evacuated more towns, moving another 14,900 people from areas that could find themselves in the path of the fires and choking smoke. In all, more than 31,000 people have been forced from their homes and summer vacation spots in the Gironde region since the wildfires began July 12. Three additional planes were sent to join six others fighting the fires, scooping up seawater and making repeated runs through dense clouds of smoke, the Interior Ministry said Sunday night. More than 200 reinforcements headed to join the 1,500 firefighters trying to contain the blazes in the Gironde, where flames neared prized vineyards and billowed smoke across the Arcachon maritime basin famed for its oysters and beaches. Also read: Heat wave, flooding leave multiple people dead in China Spain, meanwhile, reported a second fatality in two days in its own blazes. The body of a 69-year-old sheep farmer was found Monday in the same hilly area where a 62-year-old firefighter died a day earlier when he was trapped by flames in the northwestern Zamora province. More than 30 forest fires around Spain have forced the evacuation of thousands of people and blackened 220 square kilometers (85 square miles) of forest and scrub. Passengers on a train through Zamora got a frightening, close look at a blaze, when their train halted in the countryside. Video of the unscheduled — and unnerving — stop showed about a dozen passengers in a railcar becoming alarmed as they looked out of the windows at the flames encroaching on both sides of the track. Climate scientists say heat waves are more intense, more frequent and longer because of climate change — and coupled with droughts have made wildfires harder to fight. They say climate change will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. “Climate change kills,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Monday during a visit to the Extremadura region, the site of three major blazes. “It kills people, it kills our ecosystems and biodiversity." Teresa Ribera, Spain’s minister for ecological transition, described her country as “literally under fire” as she attended talks on climate change in Berlin. She warned of “terrifying prospects still for the days to come" — after more than 10 days of temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), cooling only moderately at night. At least 748 heat-related deaths have been reported in the heat wave in Spain and neighboring Portugal, where temperatures reached 47 C (117 F) earlier this month. The heat wave in Spain was forecast to ease on Tuesday, but the respite will be brief as temperatures rise again on Wednesday, especially in the dry western Extremadura region. In Britain, officials have issued the first-ever extreme heat warning, and the weather service forecast that the record high of 38.7 C (101.7 F), set in 2019, could be shattered. “Forty-one isn’t off the cards,” said Met Office CEO Penelope Endersby. “We’ve even got some 43s in the model, but we’re hoping it won’t be as high as that.” France’s often-temperate Brittany region sweltered with a record 39.3 C (102.7 F) degrees in the port of Brest, surpassing a high of 35.1 C that had stood since September 2003, French weather service Meteo-France said. Regional records in France were broken in over a dozen towns, as the weather service said Monday was “the hottest day of this heat wave.” The Balkans region expected the worst of the heat later this week, but has already seen sporadic wildfires. Early Monday, authorities in Slovenia said firefighters brought one fire under control. Croatia sent a water-dropping plane there to help after struggling last week with its own wildfires along the Adriatic Sea. A fire in Sibenik forced some people to evacuate their homes but was later extinguished. In Portugal, much cooler weather Monday helped fire crews make progress. More than 600 firefighters attended four major fires in northern Portugal.

The mild heat wave which  is sweeping Rajshahi, Rangpur and Nilphamari districts may abate following showers in parts of country in the next 24 hours, Met office said Monday morning. “Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over Chattogram and Sylhet divisions; at a few places over Rangpur, Khulna, Barishal and Mymensingh divisions and at one or two places over Rajshahi & Dhaka divisions with moderately heavy falls at isolated places over the country,” it said. Day temperatures may fall slightly and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country. Read: Heat wave likely to prevail two more days, says weather expert The highest temperature was recorded 37.5 degrees Celsius in Syedpur while lowest temperature 25.8 degrees Celsius in Kutubdia, Teknaf and Sylhet. The Met office recorded the highest 48mm rainfall in Sylhet in 24 hours till 6am today (Monday). The low pressure area over Northwest Bay and adjoining Odisha-West Bengal coast moved northwestwards and merged with the monsoon axis. The axis of monsoon trough runs through Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal to Assam across central part of Bangladesh. Monsoon is less active over Bangladesh and moderate elsewhere over the North Bay, it added. Meanwhile, another flood may hit the low-lying areas of the northern districts in the last week of July. And the flood situation may worsen in the first week of August, according to Bangladesh Weather Observatory Team (BWOT), an independent weather research group.

As high temperatures continue to bake large swaths of Bangladesh, the weather department has predicted showers across the country in the next 24 hours. Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at a few places over Rangpur, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Mymensingh, Rajshahi and Dhaka divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at isolated places over the country, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said Sunday. Read: Rain brings respite from unbearable heat to Sylhet A mild heat wave is sweeping through Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Nilphamari districts and it may ease. It was a warm and humid day across the country today with the maximum temperature settling at 37.5 degrees Celsius in Rangpur's Sayedpur. The minimum temperature was recorded at 25.1 degrees Celsius in Sylhet. The weather department recorded 178mm rainfall – the highest – in the district in the last 24 hours till 6pm Sunday.

Monsoon means the season of heavy downpour for days together.  But this year’s monsoon is largely dry with a heat wave sweeping across the country Generally, the monsoon in Bangladesh prevails from early June to mid-October but by mid-July this year the country has been gasping in scorching heat for the past two weeks.  This unusual heat wave during monsoon is likely to prevail for two more days after which there is a possibility of rainfall, Mohammad Omar Faruk, a meteorologist of Bangladesh Meteorological Department told UNB. “Every year in July, a low pressure area is formed over the Bay of Bengal, which is the reason behind rains during monsoon but this year it is less active,” he said. The highest temperature of the month was recorded at 39 degree Celsius in Syedpur of Nilphamari district on July 15.  Read: No respite from heat wave in next 24 hrs In 2018, Bangladesh experienced a moderate heat wave on July 19 and July 20. The heat wave had returned this time in 2022, said Faruk. According to the Met office bulletin, in the next 24 hours commencing at 9 am on Sunday, a mild heat wave will be sweeping over Rajshahi, Rangpur and Sylhet divisions and Tangail, Jashore and Chuadanga districts and it may continue. “However, light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at a few places over Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, Rangpur and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Dhaka, Rajshahi and Mymensingh divisions with moderately heavy falls at isolated places over the country,” it said. Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country. The low pressure area over Northwest Bay and adjoining Odisha-West Bengal coast persists.  Monsoon trough runs through Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, the centre of the low and thence Northeastwards to Assam across southern part of Bangladesh.  Monsoon is fairly active over Bangladesh and moderate elsewhere over North Bay. The highest temperature was recorded 38.0 Celsius in Syedpur while lowest temperature was recorded 25.1 Celsius in Sylhet. According to the weather office, the average rainfall in the last month was normal.  Besides, the Met office sources said there is possibility of a little rain than normal in July month. During this month, there will be one or two low pressures over the Bay and of these, one will turned into depression, said Met office at meeting held on July 3 virtually. Besides, a light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur in north, north-east region in 1-2 day while light rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur in two-three days across the country, it said.