Bangladesh braces for cold wave as temperature likely to drop further

After a brief respite from the chill, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department has forecast a sharp drop in mercury, signalling a biting cold across the country towards the end of the Bengali month of Poush.

Meteorologist Afroza Sultana confirmed that temperatures are set to decrease from Wednesday.

She said, “Temperatures are falling. A cold wave may begin in some areas [on Tuesday] or the day after.”

The intensity of the cold was felt from early morning, with Dhaka beginning the day covered in dense fog.

By midday, the fog cleared, and sunshine made its appearance as the day progressed.

According to the long-term January forecast, multiple cold waves are expected this month.

The Met Office predicts one to three mild to moderate cold waves and one or two severe cold waves sweeping across the country.

A cold wave is considered severe when the minimum temperature drops below 6°C over a large area, moderate when it falls between 6°C to 8°C, and mild when it ranges from 8°C to 10°C.

In its regular weather bulletin on Wednesday, the BMD said night temperatures may drop by 2 to 3°C and daytime temperatures by 2 to 4°C over the next 24 hours.

Foggy conditions will likely increase the feeling of cold during the day.

From midnight to morning, moderate to dense fog is expected nationwide, which may linger until noon in some areas.

Due to the fog, air travel, inland water transport, and road communications could be temporarily disrupted.

As of 6am Wednesday, the lowest temperature recorded was 12.8°C in Jashore, while the highest was 30.0°C in Sitakunda.