Cloud cover over Patna on Thursday morning. Picture by Deepak Kumar

A light drizzle on Thursday morning gave residents a brief respite from the sweltering heat of the past few days. The partly cloudy skies after the blink-and-miss precipitation held out more rain hope over the weekend.

If the cloud cover persists over the next two days, it could lead to a weather system favourable for rain from Sunday. Ashish Sen, director, India Meteorological Department, Patna, said: “South-westerly wind from Bengal and Jharkhand led to the cloud formation over the city on Thursday. If the cloud cover persists and the south-westerly wind continue to blow for two more days, rainfall is likely from April 13.”

Contrary to dry easterly wind sweeping across the city till Wednesday, the south-westerly wind — high in moisture content — helped in the formation of clouds in troposphere. Sen, however, assured that the higher moisture level would not lead to discomfort.

“The moisture level in the atmosphere was very low owing to dry westerly wind blowing over the past couple of days. So, the rise in the moisture-level because of the easterly component would not lead to discomfort. The cloud cover would also bring down the temperature. Thus, both pre-conditions for discomfort factor — high temperature and high moisture content — have not been met,” said Sen.

The cloud cover that followed the drizzle, which lasted barely a few minutes, turned the Thursday morning pleasant for joggers. “I left home for my morning walk around 6am as usual. Dense clouds and cool wind made the weather perfect. So, I jogged for an extra kilometre today (Thursday),” said Anjali Singh, a resident of Kadamkuan.

The dense black clouds dispersed as the day progressed, turning the afternoon bright and hot. Weathermen, however, claimed that the cloud cover would definitely lead to a drop in the maximum temperature. “The cloud cover does not allow solar rays to reach the earth’s surface directly, preventing rise in the day (maximum) temperature. If the cloud cover persists for another day or two, the maximum temperature can drop by up to 4 degrees Celsius by Sunday,” said Sen.

The city was boiling for the past couple of days, with the mercury soaring beyond the 40ºC mark the first time this year on Tuesday (40.4ºC). It surged to 41.5ºC on Wednesday. The overcast skies on Thursday, however, brought it down to 39.9ºC. If the cloud cover persists, it could drop to 37ºC by Sunday.

The overcast skies and the resultant drop in the mercury column brought smiles on residents’ faces. “The heat was unbearable over the past two days, we had to switch on the AC. But the weather was pleasant this morning. I expected a long spell of rain, but it didn’t. But I was content with the relief the clouds and the drizzle gave,” said Ajay Upadhyay, a Ashok Rajpath resident.