Patna, May 10: Residents of the state capital, today, woke up to bright and clear skies. But they were not cheered as the blue skies only meant another hot summer day.

Yesterday was the hottest day this season with a maximum temperature of 40.9°C. Though the temperature came down to 36.8°C today, it was still too high.

Most residents preferred to stay put in the cool and comfortable confines of their rooms and tried to beat the heat with the help of air-conditioners or fans. Those who had to venture out, found the air scorching.

“The heat in May is always painful. However, since yesterday, it seems the air is literally burning,” said Jaya Tiwari, a resident of Ashiana Nagar.

She added: “Going out during day hours is terrible. If you go out, you will be drenched in sweat. The temperature inside the house is a little lower but still unbearable.

“Fans and coolers are not enough to beat the heat. Air-conditioners are the only solution. But it is not possible to have ACs everywhere all the time,” said the homemaker.

The meteorological department said the residents could expect some relief in the next two or three days, as the temperature is expected to remain around 38°C.

“The rise of temperature is probably because of north-westerly winds that have come from Pakistan, Afghanistan and the neighbouring regions. Usually north-westerly winds bring no moisture and are very dry. As a result the temperature rises,” said C.S. Patil, meteorologist, Patna Meteorological Department.

He added: “The temperature today and tomorrow is likely to decrease by two to three degrees, as the wind has changed direction. Now, the easterly winds are prevalent. Easterly winds originate from Bay of Bengal and lead to cloud formation. This prevents increase in temperature.”

Patil added that as the length of day was longer in summer, the absorption of heat by the air was more and this, too, led to high temperatures.

This hope of relief, however, did not delight the residents too much.

“I do not feel any fall in the temperature. On the contrary, I found it was hotter today than yesterday,” said Saurav Kumar, resident of Sri Krishna Nagar.

He added: “We are being careful to avoid a sunstroke. I have also started bathing twice or thrice a day. But even that does not help too much as the heat is constant and unbearable.”

According to Met department officials, the temperature fluctuates by around three to four degrees each year. In the past 10 years, the highest recorded temperature for May is 45.6°C.

The Met department sources also said monsoon is likely to reach Patna by mid-June this year. That is the only hope of relief it seems.