Cold wave up ahead, biting cold may continue throughout month

The cold air from the Himalayas, fog and the water vapour rising from the Bay of Bengal have come together in Bangladesh to cover up most of the country under the blanket of fog.

Already, there are only a few hours of sunlight available a day. As a result, the mercury level has started to drop in most parts of the country. The temperature in Gopalganj and Chuadanga has reached close to the cold wave.

The mercury level might continue to dip further throughout the week from today, Friday. The cold wave might spread from the northern part to the southwestern part of the country in two days.

The biting cold may continue not only through the current week but also throughout the month. Besides, the winter this year might be colder than other years, believes the meteorological department.

“This long band of fog runs through India’s Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and northern parts of West Bengal. That’s the usual condition in winter. As the day progresses, the volume of fog might increase as well,” meteorologist at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Md Bazlur Rashid told Prothom Alo. 

He added, “There’s a correlation between fog and air pollution. Transborder pollution combined with pollution from local sources increases the amount of pollution. The winter might be a bit intense compared to other years.”

Meteorologists say that a clear low-pressure had been created in the Bay of Bengal and then it shifted near the coast of Sri Lanka. However, an extensive amount of cloud has been created from the impact of that. And, it has started entering into Bangladesh through the coastal areas.

Meanwhile, the cold air coming across the Himalayas has entered Bangladesh through the northern region through India’s Bihar. The cold air combined with the water vapour coming from the coast has created the fog. That same fog has spread throughout the country.

The sun cannot be seen during the day because of the dense fog. As a result, though the temperature has not decreased much, the feeling of cold has increased.

As the difference between day and night temperatures has decreased, the body is not getting any warmth during the day. As a result, after feeling cold throughout the day the feeling of cold is growing intense after the sunset. 

The same weather might continue for the rest of this week. As a result, even if the temperature does not drop much or there is no cold wave, the intensity of cold might still increase.

The lowest temperature in the capital on Thursday was recorded at 14.8 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile the lowest temperature across the country was recorded at 10.2 degrees Celsius in Chuadanga and Gopalganj.