Dhaka, Jan. 21 -- Despite Magh's reputation for a cold that seeps into the bones, this year the Bengali month has a taken on a more comfortable countenance.

While the chill was pronounced toward the end of the Bengali month of Poush (the other winter month), temperatures have eased noticeably in the early days of Magh in mid-January, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

Afroza Sultana, an assistant meteorologist at the department, said the cold has felt less severe this year due to a combination of higher humidity, a northeasterly wind flow and reduced fog.

"There was no cold wave anywhere in the country on Wednesday," she told bdnews24.com.

"The lowest temperature recorded in the past 24 hours was 10.3 degrees...