Sudden rain and cool winds on Tuesday may have encouraged residents of the state capital to unpack their woollens but weathermen claimed that the drop in the temperature would be short-lived.

Patna Met department claimed that the overcast conditions would, in fact, pave the way for the onset of summer. “Moist south easterly winds and easterly winds from the west have led to cloud formation over Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh since yesterday (Monday). Rainfall has been recorded in a number of places including Patna,” Ashish Sen, the director of the Patna Met department, told The Telegraph.

Cloud cover was observed over the city during the second half on Monday. It started to drizzle in the late evening.

The downpour became heavier during the night but weakened on Tuesday morning. The cloud cover, however, lasted the entire day.

Sen said: “The overcast weather has caused temperature fluctuations in Patna. The cloud cover has restricted radiation from the earth’s surface to escape to the upper layers of atmosphere. This, in turn, has led to a rise of 5°C in the minimum temperature. It has also prevented solar radiation from reaching the earth’s surface during the day. This has caused a drop of 6°C in maximum temperature.”

On Monday, the maximum temperature was 30.8°C. It fell to 24.8°C on Tuesday. The minimum temperature rose from 13.5°C to 18.4°C.

The sudden fluctuations in the weather are not good for the health of the citizens, claimed medical experts.

“Untimely rains and sudden rise in humidity makes the human body prone respiratory ailments, conjunctivitis, skin diseases and waterborne ailments, including gastrointestinal disorders such as typhoid and jaundice,” said Dr Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, teacher of physiology at Patna Medical College and Hospital.

He added: “Hence, as a precautionary measure, people should check the purity of water they drink and avoid getting drenched in the rain. Prescribed and controlled dosage of Vitamin C can also be taken. Special care should be taken of the health of senior citizens and children.”

Residents also expressed similar apprehensions.

“The weather is really strange. The first few days of the last week were warm. I had packed up the woollens thinking winter was over. Now it is suddenly cold because of the winds and the rain,” said Santosh Sinha, a resident of Boring Road.

The cool days, however, would not last long.

“The cloud cover would shift by tomorrow evening. Both the maximum and the minimum temperatureswould go up,” said Sen.

He added that summer was knocking on the door.