This summer was merciful. Compared to the previous two years, it was bearable.

With the southwest monsoon knocking on the door, Met scientists said the summer of 2013 was comparatively cooler than 2012 and 2011. To establish its claims, a Met official said the city was not once hit by a heat wave and the highest maximum temperature in the past three months stood at 42.4°C on May 1.

According to meteorology, heat wave condition prevails at a place when the maximum temperature is five degrees higher than the normal for more than two days. Such a condition never prevailed in the city this year.

The mercury column did not even cross the 40°C mark in March. The maximum highest temperature in the month was 36°C on March 25. The highest maximum temperature in April was 41.5°C, recorded twice on April 10 and 30. (See graphic)

Ashish Sen, the director of India Meteorological Department, Patna, attributed the comparatively “cooler” summer this year to the dominance of moist easterly winds in the region.

“There were around eight spells of easterly winds in the city in March and April, when normally, dry and hot westerly winds push up the temperature in the region. Easterly winds continued to blow almost throughout May because of a trough line, which was static between eastern Uttar Pradesh and the northern part of the Bay of Bengal for around 20 days. It was because of the influence of the easterly winds that the average temperature for May this year was around three degrees below the mean temperature (38.9°C) for the month,” said Sen.

Senior citizens of the city echoed the Met department official. They also claimed that this summer was comparatively “cooler”.

“Summers in Patna are mostly unbearable because of the high temperature. But this year, the heat did not seem unbearable because the temperature was never very high for too many days. Also, the prickly hot winds of May did not blow this year. This summer was certainly pleasant,” said 62-year-old Ashok Kumar, a resident of Punaichak.

Terming the absence of heat wave condition to be favourable for crops, agriculture expert Anil Kumar Jha said: “Heat wave leads to extreme dryness in the atmosphere, forcing farmers to go for frequent irrigation to keep standing crops like maize and sugarcane in a good shape.”

Though the easterly winds restricted the northward movement of the mercury column, the high level of moisture in the air led to sultry conditions, causing discomfort to residents.

“Humidity adversely affects the physiological balance or the internal mechanism of the human body. Viral infection, allergic manifestations and bacterial growth are common in humid weather,” said Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, a professor of physiology at Patna Medical College and Hospital.