Chuadanga with mercury dipping to 7 degrees Celsius becomes the coldest place

At the beginning of winter, a cold wave is sweeping across ten districts in the northern and central regions of Bangladesh. Many areas are shrouded in fog.

Chuadanga, one of the northern districts, recorded the country’s lowest temperature on Monday at 7 degrees Celsius, followed by Jashore at 7.4 and Tentulia at 8.8.

Mercury in Ishwardi, Rajshahi, Badalgachhi, Rajarhat and Barishal dropped below 10 degrees Celsius.

A mild to moderate cold wave is sweeping over Gopalganj, Rajshahi, Pabna, Naogaon, Panchagarh, Kurigram, Jashore, Kushtia, Chuadanga and Barishal, according to the Met Office.

When temperature drops below 6 degrees Celsius over a large area, it is considered a severe cold wave. A moderate cold wave is formed if the temperature of the area ranges between 6-8 degrees, while temperature hovering between 8-10 degrees Celsius forms a mild cold wave.

Meteorologist Muhammad Arif Hossain said the cold snap is likely to persist and may spread further.

Night temperatures may drop slightly in southern Bangladesh in the next 24 hours and remain almost unchanged elsewhere. Day temperatures across the country may remain almost unchanged.

Weather has packed more chills in the capital in the last few days. Monday’s temperature in Dhaka dipped to as low as 14.2 degrees Celsius.

Chattogram's Sitakunda recorded the day's maximum temperature at 27.5 degrees Celsius.

“The temperature will rise again at the end of the week and then may get stable,” Meteorologist Abdul Hamid said. “Another cold snap is expected in late December or early January.”

Temperatures have been trending down since mid-November, but the arrival of cold has been delayed slightly by cyclones and rain in December.

Usually, Bangladesh experiences more of winter chill in January.