Rain is expected to stay away from Patna this Durga Puja, giving residents every occasion to have a good time.

Going by the indications from the current conditions in Bihar, rainfall is expected to taper in the coming days, meteorologist Sandeep Kumar told The Telegraph on Wednesday. By the time Durga Puja celebrations are at their peak from September 27 (Saptami), not too much rain is expected to dampen spirits.

'A low pressure area is prevailing over Jharkhand and Odisha under the influence of which some parts of south and western Bihar may receive rainfall till Thursday but after that not much rain is expected,' said Sandeep.

The monsoon trough line, which was passing over Gaya till Tuesday had shifted southwards on Wednesday, he added. Weather-related activities are generally observed in areas through which the trough line passes.

He said some parts of south-eastern Bihar near Bhagalpur could receive rainfall on September 25 and some areas in north Bihar - in the foothills of the Himalayas - could receive some rainfall on September 27 and 28.

Soni Singh, a resident of Anand Puri locality, said: 'We enjoy Durga Puja going to different pandals with family. Rain simply dampens the festive mood, as Patna's drainage system is not good and several roads become waterlogged even with just a few hours of rain.'

The official at the Met office, however, clarified that the observations were based on the current and likely weather conditions, Any sudden change in weather conditions and the features which influence weather in a place could never be ruled out, he held.

Would the dry weather lead to uncomfortable weather? The meteorologist does not expect so - he said a cloud cover is likely to be present, making the weather pleasant.

'The temperature is likely to be around 35-36 degrees Celsius in the coming few days and the relative humidity level, which was hovering between 70 and 90 per cent, could also come down in case the westerly winds set in,' he said.

High humidity level make things tough even if the temperature is in the 30s as any increase in the heat index makes people feel uncomfortable.

So far as rainfall is concerned, Patna has received 29 per cent less than normal rainfall this monsoon. The city has got just 632.3mm of rainfall from June 1 to September 20 against the normal of 887.3 mm.

Bihar has received 893.2mm of rainfall in the same period, eight per cent less than the normal of 967.5mm. This deficiency does not mean much though because in the meteorological parlance a departure of 19 per cent is considered normal.