A woman rides on a bike with her face covered to escape the heat, in Patna on Monday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, June 6: Those finding the scorching heat unbearable, here is some good news: clouds could be on the horizon within two days.

Rain, too, might follow, and the northward movement of the temperature will be checked because of a change in the wind pattern, claim experts.

“There is every possibility of cloud formation in the next 48 hours. It will arrest the northward movement of the mercury,” Animesh Chanda, the director of Patna Met office told The Telegraph today.

C.S. Patil, another meteorological scientist at the Patna Met office, said: “The temperature will plunge by two to three degrees in the next two days.

We are expecting a change in the wind pattern, which may lead to rainfall,” added the scientist.

Rain may be on its way to the city but there was nothing to herald its approach today. The sun beat down with a vengeance, and the maximum temperature was 40.4°C. It was a tad lower than yesterday, when the maximum temperature was 41.3°C.

Humidity, too, was rather high today at 53 per cent.

Residents of the city were not as active as they usually are on Mondays. Most of them remained indoors because of the heat.

The government-run secondary schools reopened after the summer vacations today but most of the students did not turn up.

Officials in the state secretariat too had a tough time in the office as they battled the heat and the sweat.

As the day progressed, the thoroughfares of the city that are usually chock-a-block became deserted. Most people preferred to take shelter indoors to escape the heat.

“The heat, today, is unbearable. If you stand in the open for even a few seconds, you will be drenched in sweat,” said Danapur resident Satish Kumar.

He added: “Remaining indoor is not a good option either, as the high humidity is a cause for discomfort. Besides, we have to take special care of the children as they are more prone to getting sick because of the heat.”

Experts, however, claim that it is not a heat wave yet, and that temperature will go down soon.

Chanda said: “Although the maximum temperature in the city for the first six days of this month has been higher than the normal monthly temperature, it is likely to come down in the next 48 hours because of a change in the wind pattern. The moisture quantity in the air will also increase.”

He added that the average temperature for June is 36.7°C.

Weather experts also expect that the scorching heat conditions would normalise within a few days.

“Such pre-monsoon heat is normal. Heat wave has not been observed anywhere in Bihar this year. Although the temperature is around 40°C to 41°C at one or two places, the heat has not been consistent for five or six days. When such high temperature is recorded in five to six districts for more than five continuous days, we can call it a heat-wave condition,” said Pradhan Parth Sarathi, academic co-ordinator, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Central University of Bihar.

He added: “Cloud formation has been observed in the past few weeks. Clouds will bring the temperature down. In my view, it will rain in three to four days and the temperature will come down.”