Clouds hover over Patna Museum on Thursday afternoon. Picture by Jai Prakash

The weekend in the city would not be as wet as the past few days despite the monsoon bulletin of India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday warned of heavy rainfall at few places in the state.

Officials at the Met department here claimed that the intensity of rainfall in the city would diminish in the next 48 hours. Reasons: the satellite images from Kalpana-1 did not show any layer of rain-bearing clouds in and around the city on Thursday evening; the low-pressure area over east Uttar Pradesh that caused moderate rainfall here on Wednesday got neutralised by Thursday morning; the monsoon trough line passing through Bhagalpur on Wednesday also shifted southwards.

“The southwest monsoon is active in Bihar at present. But the intensity of rainfall in the state would be lower than Jharkhand in the next 48 hours because the trough line shifted to Daltonganj on Thursday. Also, the low-pressure area has neutralised. Patna might experience light to moderate rainfall with thundershowers during the next two days,” said P.K. Chaudhary, senior meteorologist, IMD, Patna.

Bihar has received 569.5mm rainfall from June 1 till August 28. The normal rainfall during the same period is 788.3mm.

The rainy days in the city over the past few gave residents respite from sultry weather conditions. “Sunny and humid days over the past few weeks were unbearable for me. The weather has become pleasant because of rains over the past couple of days. It is an ideal time for hanging out with friends at parks or going on outings,” said Priyanka Kumari, a resident of the Boring Road area.

Priyanka was spot on. The maximum temperature in Patna on Wednesday stood at 30°C, two notches below normal. The mercury surged to 31.3°C on Thursday, yet a notch below normal.

While the residents are happy after the rainfall, health experts asked people to be careful during the rainy days. “Virus and fungi, which cause water-borne diseases like gastroenteritis, skin rashes and allergies, replicate fast in monsoon. Vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria are also common. People should ensure that they drink clean water and food items are properly covered,” said Dr Rajeev Ranjan Prasad, professor of physiology, Patna Medical College and Hospital.