The sultry weather has made the life of general people miserable, with heat so intense that city roads and highways melted at many points while the city streets wore a deserted look in the afternoon.

Met office sources said a delay in the arrival of the monsoon is to blame. "We assumed to set the monsoon in the country within the first week. But we guess it will take a few more days," said Arzumand Habib, the deputy director of the met office. "The monsoon cloud will reach our Chittagong coast after four to five days, we guess, and will take some more time to reach Dhaka," she said.

Met office sources said the average temperature this year has increased by nearly four degrees Celsius, as the monsoon is delaying.

The highest temperature ever recorded in the country - 45.4 degrees Celsius in Rajushi in 1972 - occurred when the monsoon delayed, met office sources said.

The highest temperature in the country was recorded at 42.4 degrees Celsius in Rajshahi, when the temperature in the capital was 35.5 degrees Celsius. The temperature recorded in Sylhet was 23.4 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile the met office forecasted that a moderate to severe heat wave may continue over Khulna division and the regions of Rajshahi, Dinajpur and Ishwardi during the period.

The met office also forecasted that rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusts of wind are likely at one or two places over Sylhet, Rajshahi and Dhaka divisions. The weather elsewhere may remain mainly dry in the next 24 hours until 6:00pm today.