Tetulia shivers at the season's lowest temperature of 8.6 degrees, public life disrupted by cold wave on a sunless day

Public life in Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh has been severely disrupted due to a severe cold wave. There is no sun in the sky, the surroundings are covered in thick fog. Even as the day progresses, the intensity of the cold remains unchanged. Normal life has come to a standstill in this northern border town due to the bone-chilling winter.

The lowest temperature of the current season was recorded in Tetulia at 9 am on Tuesday (January 6). According to sources from the Tetulia Meteorological Observatory, at that time the humidity of the air was about 99 percent and the wind speed was 6 to 8 kilometers per hour. The feeling of cold has become more intense due to excess humidity and fog.

Jitendranath Roy, officer-in-charge of the Tetulia Meteorological Observatory, said that the intensity of the cold has increased in the area due to the effect of a mild cold wave. He said that the maximum temperature on Monday was 16.5 degrees Celsius. However, since Tuesday morning, the cold has increased and the density of fog is also been observed.

It has been observed on the ground that the hardest hit by the cold are the hard-working people, especially those engaged in extracting stones from the Mahananda River. They have faced extreme hardship while working in the severe cold. In addition, the suffering of children and the elderly is the greatest. Many have been seen lighting fires to warm themselves to escape the cold, while some have covered themselves with heavy clothes and blankets.

Due to the dense fog, there has also been a risk on the roads. Vehicles are moving slowly on the highways and regional roads with their headlights on. This is increasing the suffering and risk of accidents in travel.

Residents said that there was no sun visible throughout the day on Monday (January 5). The whole day was spent in foggy and cloudy weather. The cold increased further on Tuesday morning. They said that the cold is being felt more intensely as the sun does not rise until 10 am.