A mild cold wave engulfed entirely the northern divisions of Rangpur and Rajshahi on Tuesday as the country’s minimum temperature dropped by about 2C.

The Met Office said that the cold wave would likely continue with moderate to thick fog occurring across Bangladesh, especially along river basins.

Over the past two days till 6:00pm on Tuesday, day- and night-time temperature dropped by up to 7C, indicating the beginning of a fresh cold spell.

On Tuesday, the lowest minimum temperature of 7.6C was recorded in Badalgachhi, Naogaon.

The Met Office in its 24 hours weather forecast ending at 6:00pm today said that the night and day temperatures might stay nearly unchanged.

Dhaka saw its maximum temperature drop to 23.8C. The night temperature in Dhaka fell to 14C.

The India Meteorological Department predicted a cold wave amid dense fog over a large swathe of the country from Punjab and West Rajsthan to Bihar through January 19.

On Tuesday, the mild cold was also sweeping Chuadanga alongside the divisions of Rajshahi and Rangpur, the Met Office said.

The Health Emergency Control Room reported 85 deaths from cold-related diseases in the country between November 14 and December 17.

Of the deaths, 82 were caused by acute respiratory infection and three by diarrhoea.

More than 3.44 lakh people were hospitalised with diarrhoea over the same period, the official account showed, with over 57,000 people getting hospitalised with respiratory illnesses.

Northern districts are among Bangladesh’s worst poverty-hit areas where there are large sections of people who have a few winter clothes to protect themselves against ceaseless cold north wind.