Bone-chilling cold coupled with thick fog have been disrupting normal life in northern and north-eastern districts.

Sunlight could hardly be visible all day long due to dense fog, causing a sharp decline in public and vehicular movement.

Many were compelled to burn straw to keep themselves warm.

A weather bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) yesterday said, "Night and day temperature may fall slightly over the country."

"Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country," said the 24-hour bulletin published at 6:00pm.

"Moderate to thick fog may occur at places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna and Mymensingh divisions during midnight till noon, and light to moderate fog may occur elsewhere over the country during midnight to morning," it added.

Lower-income people are facing the double blow as they don't have enough warm clothes to combat the cold.

"We are facing unbearable cold. But we, the poor people, don't have enough warm clothes. We are passing hard days," said Khaleda Bewa, 60, from Bongram village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.

"We have to keep ourselves warm by burning straw at night. It will be very helpful for us, if the government provides us with warm clothes," said Azizul Islam, 50, a day labourer from Char Montola area in Kurigram's Chilmari upazila.

The authorities of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Aviation and Aerospace University yesterday distributed blankets among 700 cold-hit people on the university's Lalmonirhat campus.

In Moulvibazar, many tourists were forced to stay inside hotel room as cold grips the area.

"We have come from Bogura to visit tourist places in Sreemangal. I have a little kid and elderly parents with me. That's why, we couldn't go out of our hotel room due to cold weather," said Sajjadur Rahman.

The vehicular movement became slow after evening due to dense fog, said travellers.

                              [Our correspondents from Lalmonirhat and Moulvibazar contributed to the report]