Drizzling to light rain coupled with chilly northern winds continued blowing over the country all through the day on Friday, forcing many people especially living in the northwest regions to stay indoors. Mild cold wave is sweeping over the regions of Panchagarh, Dinajpur and Nilphamari and it may continue and spread to other regions, said a Bangladesh Meteorological Department bulletin on Friday.
The Met office weather forecast added that night and day temperature may fall by one or two degree Celsius over the country. People from all walks of life specially the lower-income group in the northern region have been immensely suffering for the last few days due to the ongoing cold wave.
The sun remained covered behind clouds and intermittent thick 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.
The lowest temperature of on Thursday was recorded 7.09 degree Celsius at Chuadanga. The cold wave may continue till tomorrow (Saturday). Light rain coupled with cold wave disrupted normal life in different parts of the country in the early hours on Friday. Due to the dense fog, vehicles are moving slowly across the country using headlight. Vehicular movement was disrupted in different places of country as the mercury 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 Met office on Friday predicted that light rain or drizzle may occur again in different parts of the country today (Saturday). “Light rain or drizzle is likely to occur at a few places over Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Khulna, Barisal, Dhaka, Mymensingh and Rajshahi divisions,” said a Met office bulletin issued Friday morning.
Weather may remain mainly dry with partial cloudy sky elsewhere over the country. Moderate to thick fog may occur at places over the country during midnight to morning. On the other hand, the selling of warm clothes is increasing in different markets across the country due to falling temperatures in last couple of days.
Most of the shopping malls of the capital Dhaka, other metropolitan cities, district towns and upazila headquarters are witnessing huge crowds of customers from morning to evening every day. Demand of cardigan, sweaters, blazer and others warm clothes have been increasing in the markets. A large number of vendors, in the meantime, were found warm clothes at the bus and launch terminals and train station areas where a lot of buyers are seen crowding.
As a cold wave continued to sweep over the country for the last few days, the number of patients with cold-related disease is also increasing gradually. A large number of patients, mostly children and elderly people, were admitted to hospitals and clinics.