A cold wave has gripped four districts of Bangladesh and is likely persist for a few more days, according to the Met Office.

Dense fog and chilling winds swept through parts of the country, including Dhaka, on Friday, obscuring the sun until the afternoon.

In its 72-hour forecast, the Met Office expects moderate to dense fog to blanket the country from midnight to morning, potentially disrupting air, sea and road traffic.

Although the mercury is likely to rise slightly at night, the day temperature may drop and intensify the biting cold. The Meteorological Department also forecast rain or thundershowers in the next five days.

The country's lowest temperature was recorded at 9.6 degrees Celsius in Kishoreganj's Nikli and Chuadanga on Friday. The mercury also dropped to 9.8 degrees Celsius in Pabna's Ishwardi and 10 degrees Celsius in Dinajpur.

The Met Office considers temperatures below 6 degrees Celsius in large parts of the country to be a severe cold wave. Temperatures between 6-8 degrees Celsius are classified as a moderate cold wave, while temperatures between 8-10 degrees Celsius are considered a mild cold wave.

However, meteorologist Omar Faruque expects the cold spell to gradually abate over the next two days.

"However, foggy daytime conditions may persist for another two to three days."