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The state capital on Friday continued to grapple with heat wave conditions at a time when the clouds should have brought heavy rainfall.
With just one day to go before the end of June, the first month of monsoon witnessed little rainfall. The temperature on Friday was 39.1°C, six degrees above normal.
The temperature over the past three-four days has been hovering around the 40°C, a departure of six to eight degrees, meeting the criteria of a heat wave condition, according to meteorology department.
In fact, the department on Friday declared heat wave conditions for Patna and several other districts in central and south Bihar. (See graphics)
Meteorologists accepted that the prevailing weather condition is “abnormal”.
Ashish Sen, the director (radar) of India Meteorological Department (IMD), Patna told The Telegraph: “Heat wave condition after the arrival of monsoon is abnormal. Many times the temperature rises after the arrival of monsoon but not to the extent of creating a heat wave condition. Such abnormal condition is mainly because of the shift of monsoon trough towards the foothills of Himalayas and dry westerly winds prevailing over the state.”
Sen said a lull in monsoon is being observed almost across the entire country.
“Monsoon is still to cover the northern parts of the country, including Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh among others, subsequently the air coming from these parts are even hotter. The moist easterly winds on the other hand, have shifted north from the state. Thus, the prevailing air over the state is hot and dry,” Sen said.
Weathermen have claimed that Patna would continue to reel under the prevailing hot and dry weather conditions till the revival of monsoon, expected only after July 3. “The lull in monsoon would continue to keep the maximum temperature about five to six degrees above normal till monsoon revives on July 3, when the monsoon trough would oscillate back to Bihar and the neighbouring states,” Sen added.
Other weather scientists echoed the claims of the IMD on the revival of monsoon in the second half of the first week of July. “A low pressure system is developing over Bay of Bengal, which will lead to a good rainfall across Bihar. Though the consequent rainfall would be moderate in central Bihar, including Patna, moderate to heavy rainfall would occur in most parts of the state,” Adbus Sattar, the assistant professor of meteorology at Rajendra Agriculture University, Pusa, Samastipur, said.
However, both the weathermen seemed apprehensive of the severe consequences in the state, if monsoon did not revive in the first week of July.
Residents are having a tough time trying to fight the heat and dry conditions all over again.
“The weather is really strange these days. The temperature seems to have risen suddenly with no rain at all. The condition is such that if one does not enter an air-conditioned room after taking a bath, he/she gets drenched in sweat within five minutes,” Suraj Singh, a resident of Gardanibagh, said.
Children are also annoyed with the unusual hot weather, which has prevailed since the schools re-opened after the summer vacations on June 25. “Though the district administration had extended the summer vacation considering the extreme hot and dry weather conditions, that has hardly made any difference. My son comes back from school drenched in sweat everyday because of the sultry weather conditions,” said Jaya Tiwari, a resident of Ashiana Nagar.
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