Feeling hot and sweaty after rain? Here is why

The country experienced heavy rainfall due to Cyclone Remal, yet people from various regions reported still feeling sweaty and uncomfortable. Meteorologists explained that this discomfort is primarily due to the excessive moisture in the air.

The temperature will continue to rise in the coming days, they said.

"The air is saturated with moisture, that's why we can't cool our body," Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik, meteorologist of Bangladesh Meteorologist Department, told The Daily Star yesterday. He said the rain helped the soil to release the latent heat that is responsible for warming the environment. "That's why we are feeling discomfort even though there is no heatwave or high temperature. It is mainly due to damp weather."

According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Dhaka's temperature was recorded 32.1 degrees Celsius at noon while 244 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in the capital in the last 48 hours.

Hafizur Rahman, meteorologist of BMD, said the temperature may rise in the coming days if there is no rain. He said people will sweat more due to excessive moisture in the air.

In April, Bangladesh experienced the longest heatwave ever, and a mild to moderate heatwave swept the country in the middle of May. Data from BMD shows that the average maximum temperature throughout April was 36.2 degrees Celsius. With an average rainfall of just 1mm, the month was also the driest in 43 years.

Mostafa Kamal, a weather and climate researcher at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, explained that warm weather after heavy rainfall can be due to higher humidity, heat released by the rain, and warm, dry air arriving afterwards.

"Rainfall is typically associated with the release of latent heat. When water vapor condenses into rain droplets, it releases heat (Latent Heat) into the atmosphere, which can raise the temperature of the surrounding air," he said.

As of today, May 28, 2024, a heat wave is sweeping through western and central India and moving toward West Bengal and Bangladesh, he said.

Warm and dry air from this heatwave already started penetrating West Bengal and Bangladesh, which is also increasing air temperature over Bangladesh.

"The above three factors make people feel warmer despite heavy rainfall from Cyclone Remal over the last two days."