El Nino's influence: Winter bids farewell at the beginning of Magh

People say 'The cold weather of Magh can even keeps a tiger inside its den'. However, the opposite is happening this time due to the effect of El Nino caused by climate change. Winter is bidding farewell in the first week of the current Bangali month of Magh (third week of February). Although it is traditionally the Paush-Magh winter season, this time the normal winter is ending early. This information has been provided by the Meteorological Department.

In the last week of last December, the cold wave began to prevail across the country. It continued until the first week of January. However, the scope of the cold wave gradually started to decrease from January 9. Last December, the Meteorological Office had said that when the Bengali month of Magh begins in mid-January, severe winter will begin again across the country. But in reality, that did not happen. Rather, the Meteorological Department said that the normal winter of the current season has already bid farewell.

They said that although the temperature may decrease slightly towards the end of this month, there is no possibility of severe or moderate winter. The organization said that winter has officially departed before the end of the season, mainly due to the effect of El Nino.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department and the Alipore Meteorological Office of India have said that El Nino is coming in a strong form this time. Therefore, there will be less rain in the monsoon this year, and heat waves will continue for a long time in the summer. However, this year's El Nino has shown its first strength in the current winter season. Due to its effect, winter has departed early this time. There is no possibility of severe or moderate cold waves in Bengal in this official season.

Towards the end of January, some areas of North Bengal may experience a mild cold wave for a few days, but it will not last long. At the same time, the temperature may decrease slightly in most areas of the country, including the capital Dhaka, at that time. However, there is no possibility of cold waves in these areas.

In early January, the Dhaka Meteorological Department had predicted that a total of five cold waves could hit this month, of which at least one could be severe. In the meantime, severe cold was felt in various parts of the country since the last week of December and the beginning of January which was the most severe winter since 2018.

However, the cold began to subside in Dhaka and other parts of the country from January 9.

Senior meteorologist Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallick told Views Bangladesh that this year the world is facing the strongest El Niño in history. Such a warm El Niño has never happened before. This anomaly in the Pacific Ocean has happened for such a long time only a few times. This year it started in winter. It will continue until June next year.

He said, "El Nino is a special phase of the weather. It returns every 2 to 7 years. El Nino is born due to the anomaly in the Pacific Ocean. Its long-term forecast cannot be made. When the water in the middle of the Pacific Ocean warms up and spreads over a large area, El Nino is born. Warm water spreads from the central Pacific Ocean and moves towards the North and South American continents. This affects the weather of the entire world. Especially in Southeast and South Asia. This hinders the normal pace of seasonal change. This leads to a decrease in winter, an increase in the incidence of floods and droughts. Countries located in the tropics are the ones that suffer the most from El Nino. Sometimes El Nino lasts for one to one and a half years."

Mustafa Kamal Palash, a researcher on weather and climate at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, recently said, "The winter season has also ended in the beginning of 2026 due to the influence of El Nino. This is because it is increasing the temperature of the Pacific Ocean and affecting the jet stream, which usually brings colder or warmer temperatures than normal to many regions, including South Asia, and reducing rainfall. Due to the lack of normal rain this winter, the winter did not last long. Therefore, a long-term heat wave may also occur this summer."