The temperature has begun to fall in Panchagarh, the northernmost and coldest district of Bangladesh, nestled at the foothills of the Himalayas.
A hint of winter is already in the air, with a gentle chill felt in the morning and evening breeze. However, daytime temperatures still hover between 30°C and 31°C, creating a mix of warm and cool conditions across the district.
According to the local Met Office, Panchagarh’s Tentulia recorded the country’s lowest temperature at 16.6°C at 9am on Sunday.
The previous day, the temperature stood at 17.1°C, marking a drop of nearly half a degree within 24 hours.
Jitendranath Roy, acting officer at Tentulia Weather Observation Centre, said temperatures are gradually declining and could drop to around 14°C by the end of November.
“Several cold waves are likely to sweep across Panchagarh and its surrounding areas throughout December,” he added.
The flow of cold air from the north has brought an early taste of winter, according to the meteorologists. They forecast that cold waves could intensify in Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, and Dinajpur at the beginning of December.
Thick fog has been blanketing the region from dawn until morning, with light shawls and towels now a common sight among schoolchildren, early-morning workers, and tea garden labourers in the district.
Tea worker Mosharraf Hossain said, “It feels cold when we start work at dawn. The fog settles on our hands and faces – it is really chilly now.”
Similarly, van-puller Bashed Ali shared, “When I start riding early in the morning, my hands shake from the cold. But once the sun comes out, it feels hot again – this time of year feels quite strange.”
