Dhaka, Jan 03- Dhaka as well as the most of Bangladesh woke up to chilly drizzles on Friday morning creating cold waves, which is likely to sweep over the country and continue till tomorrow (Sunday). The Met Office also said that the drizzles will continue throughout the day across the country but it will start receding from Saturday.
Rain or thundershower is likely to occur at many places over Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at a few places over Rangpur division, said a Met office bulletin issued yesterday morning at 9 am. On the other hand, moderate to thick fog may occur at places over the country during midnight till morning, the forecast adds.
Night temperature may fall slightly and day temperature may fall by (2-4)°C across the country, it said.
The cold wave may prolong for two to three days, said Md Aftab Uddin, a meteorologist of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).
Owing to foggy weather and the cold wave, many people, mostly children and elderly, are down with cold-related diseases in most of the districts.
The death toll in cold-related diseases remained the same as before as at least Fifty-one deaths were reported across the country between November 1 and January 2, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) control room.
Besides, hospitals across Dhaka and outer districts are witnessing a huge influx of patients as the cold spell is taking its toll on public life. A total of 3,12017 patients were hospitalised during that period. Further, 5,702 people have been infected with different cold-related illnesses, including acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea in the last 24 hours across the country. Among them, 855 were treated for acute respiratory infection, 1968 for diarrhoea, and 2909 for other diseases that include jaundice, inflammation in the eye, skin diseases, and fever.
People of 296 Upazilas were identified mostly affected by cold-related diseases in eight divisions of the country.
The rains started a day earlier in different places outside Dhaka on Thursday, but the capital was down at midnight yesterday. Light to heavy rains has occurred in different areas of Dhaka. The effect of rainfall has reduced temperature. The weather is likely to remain the same today, the Met Office said.
The lowest temperature recorded was 11.2 degrees Celsius at Tetulia, while the highest was 28.0 degrees Celsius at Dhaka, the Met office said. In Dhaka city, the minimum temperature was 17.0 degrees Celsius.
The met office director Shamsuddin Ahmed in a press briefing on Thursday said, three more cold waves are expected to sweep over Bangladesh in January.
A severe cold wave is forecast to strike Bangladesh next week, followed by a moderate spell in the middle of the month. A severe spell will strike back at the end of the month, he said.
“The mercury will start dropping on Jan 6 in parts of the country with two severe and moderate cold waves sweeping through.”
Meteorologists forecast rains for Jan 3, 4 and 5 and temperatures will drop gradually. The rural areas will be colder than urban areas.
The country was hit by a cold wave twice in December. The mercury dropped to 4.5 degrees Celsius in Tetulia, the lowest in the country this season. – Staff Reporter
