“This is the year’s lowest temperature,” said Rohidul Islam Rohid, acting officer of Tetulia Weather Observatory office.
The situation is likely to persist as the Met Office in Dhaka has forecast another cold snap within a few days.
Tetulia, the last border town in Bangladesh’s north, is no stranger to extreme cold. On January 8 last year, mercury fell to 2.6˚C in Tetulia, the lowest-ever recorded temperature in Bangladesh’s history.
Wednesday’s chilly weather disrupted normal life, affecting the poor, children, elderly and day labourers.
The district administration said 35,000 pieces of blankets have already been distributed among the poor and sought more allotment from Dhaka.
Various social organisations also distributed warm clothes and blankets.
The cold-affected people of the district said that the government allotment is insufficient and residents of many areas are yet to receive warm clothes.
Meanwhile, the number of patients with cold-related diseases has increased here.
As there is no pediatric and medicine specialist in Panchagarh Modern Hospital, patients are being forced to go to Thakurgaon, Dinajpur and Rangpur for treatment, said the affected people.
Doctor Md Sirajuddoula Polin, resident medical officer of the hospital, said that the pressure of outdoor patients is huge but only a handful of them are getting admitted to the hospital.