Winter sets in, finally

It showed up late but winter has finally arrived.

A mild cold wave is sweeping over Rajshahi division and regions of Tangail, Mymensingh, Gopalganj, Sreemangal, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Jessore and Chuadanga, says the met office.

Yesterday, country's lowest temperature was recorded in Sreemangal at 8.4 degrees Celsius.

As the mercury has dropped suddenly, the people in the capital are also feeling a chill in the air.

However, a Dhaka met official says the temperature at night may rise by one or two degrees in a couple of days before a cold wave strikes the country in the last week of this month.

"We have forecast one cold wave for the last week of December and at least two others for January," said meteorologist Arif Hossain, adding that the duration of this winter would be shorter than usual.

Though the season officially starts from November, people usually start feeling the cold not until the first week of December.

This year, the temperature was higher than the normal December temperature till the middle of this month.

In a 24-hour forecast valid till 6:00pm today, the met office yesterday said light rain or drizzle is likely to occur at one or two places over Dhaka, Chittagong, Barisal and Khulna divisions. Weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky elsewhere.

Moderate to thick fog is likely occur at places over the river basins and light to moderate fog at places elsewhere during mid night till morning, added the forecast.

The mild cold being experienced largely in the southern part of the country has started to disrupt people's normal life.

Yesterday's lowest temperature in Lalmonirhat was recorded at 13.7 degrees Celsius, reports our correspondent, quoting the Rangpur met office.

A dense fog engulfed the entire district for hours as the sun was not seen. 

Farmer Taher Ali, 48, of Khorarpul village in Lalmonirhat Sadar, said many like him could not go to work for want of warm clothes, adding, this was hampering local agricultural production. 

To fight the bitter cold, many destitute people made fire with nothing but straws and rubber tyres.

Quoting local met office, our Dinajpur correspondent reported that yesterday's lowest temperature in the district was 9.6 degrees Celsius. Cold started to set in there after sunset on Wednesday. 

Our Rangpur correspondent added that the lowest temperature there was 10 degrees Celsius yesterday.

It was just 8.4 degrees Celsius in Sreemangal of Moulvibazar, reported our local correspondent, quoting Harunur Rashid, an official at the met office there.

Meanwhile, distribution of warm clothes was suspended in many places of these districts, only increasing the woes of the affected ones.

Sources said many politicians were refraining from taking part in such distribution programmes in fear of violating the electoral code of conduct ahead of the December 30 municipal polls.