Staff Correspondent
Biting cold combined with heavy fog brought life to a standstill across the country since temperature sharply dropped in most places on Friday.
People of Jessore experienced the lowest temperature of 9.3 degrees Celsius while the highest was 30 degrees recorded in Cox's Bazar, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. It said the lowest temperature in most places in northern and south-western region was recorded between 10 to 15 degrees Celsius.
The maximum temperature recorded in Dhaka was 26.4 C and the minimum 13.4 C, in Chittagong 29 C and 15.8 C, in Khulna 26 C and 11 C, in Barisal 26.6 C and 12.4 C, in Sylhet 28.8 C and 13.2 C, in Rajshahi 21.8 C and 10.5 C and in Rangpur the maximum was 23.5 C and the minimum 11 C, the Met Office said.
A weather bulletin of the department forecast that mild cold wave may continue over the regions of Pabna, Jessore and Kushtia while moderate to thick fog may occur across the country from midnight till morning.
The sudden chill affected the daily lives of the residents of the capital yesterday. People had to be attired in heavy warm clothes.
In Rajshahi, normal life in the city and its adjacent areas was disrupted because of cold weather with chilly wind and dense fog for the last couple of days. The miseries of daily wage earners like day labourers, rickshaw pullers and farm labourers mounted especially in the morning and in the evening.
The extreme cold spell with mild chilly wind and heavy fog activated cold-related diseases in this area.
The number of patients of pneumonia, asthma and respiratory complications rose at the Upazila and district level hospitals, including Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
Our Rangpur Correspondent reported that the sweeping moderate cold wave coupled with blowing cooler winds and thick layers of fogs paralised normal life everywhere in the sub-Himalayan northern districts.
Our Chittagong Correspondent reported that because of thick fog plying of all types of ships in the port channel remained suspended from Thursday night to 12 noon on Friday. Dense fog and cold spell partially forced the city people to remain at home and disrupted air, water and road communications causing terrible sufferings to thousands of people, he said.
The port authority was compelled to impose ban on movements of as many as eight vessels to and from Chittagong due to poor visibility.