Dhaka has a climate that can be described as tropical. Three seasons are generally recognized: a hot, humid summer from March to June; a cool, rainy monsoon season from June to October; and a cool, dry winter from October to March. Summers can be extremely hot. In general, highs are in the 90s to 100s. April is the warmest month in most parts of the country. January is the coldest month, when the average temperature for most of the country is in the 40s.

    From March to May, the region is subject to violent thunderstorms that can produce winds of up to sixty kilometers per hour. During the intense storms of the early summer and late monsoon season, strong winds are prevalent. About 80 percent of Bangladesh's rain falls during the monsoon season. The monsoons come about from the contrasts between low and high air pressure areas that result from differential heating of land and water. During the months of April and May hot air rises over the Indian subcontinent, creating low-pressure areas into which rush cooler, moisture-bearing winds from the Indian Ocean. This is the southwest monsoon, commencing in June and usually lasting through September.