Patna: The scorching weather will last at least till Tuesday and some rain maybe expected in Bihar after that, weathermen have said.

Patna Met office scientist Anand Shankar termed the high temperature level as a normal phenomenon in the month of May, which is part of the pre-monsoon season.

"The day temperature in Patna is likely to be in the range of 40° to 42°C till Tuesday," he said on Sunday.

The only respite for Patna residents is the fact that the easterly, blowing at a speed between 7 and 9 km per hour, still happens to be the dominant wind in this part of the state.

When the easterly blows, it does not allow the temperature to rise much because this wind also ensures moisture unlike the dry and heat-raising westerlies.

"Easterly is blowing in most parts of the state but for western and south-western Bihar where westerly has become the dominant wind and is blowing at a speed between 8 and 11 km per hour," Shankar said.

Thanks to this westerly wind, the temperature in Gaya town had touched the 44°C mark on Saturday.

On Sunday as well, the south Bihar town recorded a maximum temperature of 43°C.

Asked if there was some respite from the current hot weather in sight, Shankar said that a system was developing in the east-central part of the Bay of Bengal owing to which some places in Bihar might witness rainfall after Tuesday.

"The development of the system in the Bay of Bengal would lead to moisture incursion in Bihar from eastern side and it may cause rainfall in some parts of the state," Shankar said.

Amid the high temperature, exacerbated by the high relative humidity, Patna residents are praying for rain.

"Both the air-conditioners of my home are being used throughout the day," said Manorama Prasad, a resident of Ramnagri locality in west Patna.

"I cannot ask children to suffer in the high temperature level. I am worried about the electricity bill. Hope that the prediction of the Met office turns true and some rain takes place in the city giving us respite from the heat."