Saturday, 27 December, 2025
A mild cold wave is sweeping across northern Bangladesh, disrupting daily life as temperatures continue to drop nationwide. The poor and vulnerable communities in northern districts have been hit hardest, with dense fog adding to the challenges over the past few days.
Residents of char areas along the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dudhkumar, Gangadhar, and Dharla rivers are facing severe hardship, compounded by a lack of warm clothing and limited income opportunities.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), the cold wave is affecting Jashore, Chuadanga, Gopalganj, Rajshahi, Pabna, Sirajganj, and Nilphamari, and may persist in some areas.
Lowest temperatures recorded at 9:00 am included 13.5°C in Dhaka, 10.4°C in Rajshahi, 11.2°C in Rangpur, 11.5°C in Mymensingh and Dinajpur, 11.4°C in Syedpur and Kurigram, 11°C in Tetulia, 9.6°C in Chuadanga, and 9°C in Jashore. Officer-in-Charge of Chuadanga Meteorological Office, Jaminur Rahman, said the temperature was slightly higher than yesterday at 9.6°C, with humidity around 95 per cent.
Shah Alam, a boatman at Jatrapur Brahmaputra Ghat in Kurigram Sadar, said the fog has made river transport risky.
“There has been no income for two days,” he said, adding that residents in the char areas are struggling amid severe cold, as sufficient winter clothing has yet to reach them despite government and private assistance.
Tragedy struck early Friday when at least four people were killed in a collision between two passenger launches, Zakir Samrat-3 and Adventure-9, on the Meghna River in Chandpur amid dense fog. The accident occurred around 2:00 am in the Harina area of Chandpur Sadar.
The identities of the deceased have not been confirmed as both vessels departed shortly after the incident. Several passengers were injured and received medical treatment.
On the same night, another launch, Imam Hasan-5, collided head-on with a sand-laden bulkhead in the Mohanpur area of the Meghna River under Matlab Uttar Upazila. Despite over 1,000 passengers on board, there were no casualties.
Authorities have urged river vessels to exercise caution and restrict movement during periods of dense fog to prevent further accidents.
Ferry services on the Aricha–Kazirhat route were suspended for 11 hours due to poor visibility and resumed Friday morning. Md Abdullah, AGM of BIWTC Aricha Ghat, confirmed that all five ferries are now operating normally, with only minor delays.
The BMD forecasted dry weather with partly cloudy skies over the next 24 hours. However, moderate to dense fog may occur from midnight to morning in some areas and could persist until noon, potentially disrupting air navigation, river transport, and road traffic.
Night and day temperatures are expected to rise slightly nationwide, though foggy conditions may continue to cause severe cold in many places.
The highest temperature recorded on Thursday was 29°C in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, while today’s minimum temperature is 9°C in Jashore. In Dhaka, the sun will set at 5:19 pm on Friday and rise at 6:40 am on Saturday.
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A mild cold wave is sweeping across northern Bangladesh, disrupting daily life as temperatures continue to drop nationwide. The poor and vulnerable communities in northern districts have been hit hardest, with dense fog adding to the challenges over the past few days.
Residents of char areas along the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dudhkumar, Gangadhar, and Dharla rivers are facing severe hardship, compounded by a lack of warm clothing and limited income opportunities.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), the cold wave is affecting Jashore, Chuadanga, Gopalganj, Rajshahi, Pabna, Sirajganj, and Nilphamari, and may persist in some areas.
Lowest temperatures recorded at 9:00 am included 13.5°C in Dhaka, 10.4°C in Rajshahi, 11.2°C in Rangpur, 11.5°C in Mymensingh and Dinajpur, 11.4°C in Syedpur and Kurigram, 11°C in Tetulia, 9.6°C in Chuadanga, and 9°C in Jashore. Officer-in-Charge of Chuadanga Meteorological Office, Jaminur Rahman, said the temperature was slightly higher than yesterday at 9.6°C, with humidity around 95 per cent.
Shah Alam, a boatman at Jatrapur Brahmaputra Ghat in Kurigram Sadar, said the fog has made river transport risky.
“There has been no income for two days,” he said, adding that residents in the char areas are struggling amid severe cold, as sufficient winter clothing has yet to reach them despite government and private assistance.
Tragedy struck early Friday when at least four people were killed in a collision between two passenger launches, Zakir Samrat-3 and Adventure-9, on the Meghna River in Chandpur amid dense fog. The accident occurred around 2:00 am in the Harina area of Chandpur Sadar.
The identities of the deceased have not been confirmed as both vessels departed shortly after the incident. Several passengers were injured and received medical treatment.
On the same night, another launch, Imam Hasan-5, collided head-on with a sand-laden bulkhead in the Mohanpur area of the Meghna River under Matlab Uttar Upazila. Despite over 1,000 passengers on board, there were no casualties.
Authorities have urged river vessels to exercise caution and restrict movement during periods of dense fog to prevent further accidents.
Ferry services on the Aricha–Kazirhat route were suspended for 11 hours due to poor visibility and resumed Friday morning. Md Abdullah, AGM of BIWTC Aricha Ghat, confirmed that all five ferries are now operating normally, with only minor delays.
The BMD forecasted dry weather with partly cloudy skies over the next 24 hours. However, moderate to dense fog may occur from midnight to morning in some areas and could persist until noon, potentially disrupting air navigation, river transport, and road traffic.
Night and day temperatures are expected to rise slightly nationwide, though foggy conditions may continue to cause severe cold in many places.
The highest temperature recorded on Thursday was 29°C in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, while today’s minimum temperature is 9°C in Jashore. In Dhaka, the sun will set at 5:19 pm on Friday and rise at 6:40 am on Saturday.
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