Dense fog blankets Ganges Delta during January 2026 cold wave

Low clouds and dense fog blanketed the Ganges delta on the morning of January 6, 2026, while long, parallel bands of cloud rolled over the Bay of Bengal, according to a MODIS image captured by NASA’s Terra satellite.

The NASA Earth Observatory explained that radiation fog commonly forms this time of year when ground temperatures are cool, winds are light, and moisture is abundant near the surface. Meteorological departments in Bangladesh and India called for moderate to very dense fog over the region that day amid an ongoing cold wave. The long parallel bands over the sea—known as cloud streets—can form when cold air passes over warmer open water, producing rising thermals that turn into parallel rotating cylinders under a temperature inversion.

Foggy conditions disrupted daily life on the ground: local news reports said dense fog caused major disruptions at Dhaka’s international airport, and similar disruptions and travel delays on roads and railways were reported in parts of northern, central, and eastern India. Meteorological agencies had forecast moderate to very dense fog for the period surrounding the image.

Key Topics

Science, Ganges Delta, Radiation Fog, Cloud Streets, Dhaka Airport, Modis