A mild heat wave, the met office said yesterday, hit most of the northern districts, restricting people's movement particularly during mid-day when the heat from the sun was at its peak.

"It's too hot for me. I drank one can [plastic litre bottle] of water an hour ago but my body still seems to be boiling," said Raju, a rickshaw puller from Daskhin Khan.

A traffic policeman standing at a corner at the Mahakhali rail crossing almost collapsed, not realising how much heat he had taken while standing in the scorching sunlight yesterday at noon. "I could not take the heat anymore. I was feeling drowsy and at one stage almost collapsed," said Borhanuddin.

The met office yesterday said a mild heat wave is sweeping through the northwest, southwest and central regions of Bangladesh. The highest temperature recorded yesterday was in Rajshahi, at 39.4 degrees Celsius. The met office said the heat wave may last for another few days in the northern districts, including in the capital.

The heat wave is now sweeping over Syedpur, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Tangail, Faridpur, Satkhira, Chuadanga and parts of Dhaka.

The met office also said that, in the next 24 hours beginning at 9am today, there are chances of rain and thundershowers over Dhaka, Khulna, and Chittagong divisions.

Officials said temperatures this season may set a new record. "We are not certain about the mercury descending in the northern districts in the next few days, but it is assumed by the existing trend that this season's mercury may cross last year's record," said an official of the met office yesterday.

Meanwhile, doctors have advised people to drink enough water, if possible cold and particularly during the daytime, to replace dehydrated water.

"Excess water is naturally drained out from the body, but it can be dangerous if one does not possess enough water in the body to replace the dehydration," said a physician of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.