A chilly wind continued to blow over the country, forcing many people especially living in the northwest regions to stay indoors. The sun remained covered behind clouds and fogs throughout the day without appearance of the sun, affecting normal life in some places of the country. Besides, clouds, mists and thin layers of fogs apparently gave most parts of the extreme northwestern region a gloomy look from dawn to dusk.
According to the Met Office sources, the minimum temperature of 8.04 degrees Celsius was recorded at Chuadanga while 13.04 degrees was recorded in the capital Dhaka on Friday. Due to the dense fog, vehicles are moving slowly across the country using headlight. Vehicular movement was disrupted in different places of the country as the mercury level dropped further on Friday, reducing the gap between the maximum and minimum temperatures causing bone-chilling cold and exposing the poorer and elderly people and minor children to extreme miseries.
The movement of ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route resumed on Friday morning hours after of disruption due to dense fog. Besides, the ferry movement on Shimulia-Kathalbari route also remained suspended due to thick fog on the route. As a result, hundreds of vehicles, including buses, trucks and cars, remained stranded at both ends of the important routes.
“The severity of biting cold forced us to stay indoors, affecting our normal activities as the sun hid behind dense fogs, mists and clouds amid windy weather almost throughout the day today,” Zahidur Rahman, a farmer of Narail district told Bangladesh Post. Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) in its latest forecast on Friday said mild cold wave is sweeping over the regions of Rajshahi, Jashore and Chuadanga and it may continue.
Besides, moderate to thick fog may occur at places over the country during midnight to morning, the forecast added. According to the BMD, ridge of sub-continental high extends up to West Bengal and adjoining western part of Bangladesh. Seasonal low lies over South Bay. Weather may remain dry with partly cloudy sky over the country, the forecast said, adding night and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.
Talking to reporters BMD expert said the fall in temperature to the cold north-westerly winds coming from Himalayas, is causing the cold wave. “The cold wave may continue two more days. As there is no significant variation between the night and day temperature, people are experiencing same severity of cold round the clock. However, the cold wave may continue two more days, M Bazlur Rashid, a weather expert, BMD said on Friday.
The farm-labourers in the northwest regions could not conduct normal work and fewer numbers of people were seen outside homes as the thick layers of fog covered the sun throughout the day on Friday According to the sources in hospitals, upazila health complexes and community clinics, the number of pneumonia, fever, asthma and respiratory problem patients marked rise forcing the doctors to remain very busy.