The Monday blues were turned down a notch this week because of a change in the wind direction.

Residents got a respite from the scorching heat of the past several days after a change in the wind direction from dry westerly to moist easterly. A pleasant breeze could be felt from late Sunday. The temperature had also fallen by six degrees from the Saturday mark to 36 degrees Celsius.

Monday morning was even more pleasant. The sky was hazy and joggers were delighted while taking their morning stroll amid the cool breeze. Office-goers and school students also had smiles on their faces, as they did not have to start their day perspiring.

Kankerbagh resident Amit Kumar said: “Over the past few days, the atmosphere seemed too hot even at 7 in the morning. However, it was completely pleasant today (Monday) when I went to drop my son at the bus stop. I had a nice morning stroll after so many days.”

The weathermen said the easterly winds were much stronger than expected, leading to the sharp fall in the mercury column and relief to the residents on the first working day of the week. Those who wake up early have reason to rejoice over the next few days too — the Met department has forecast that the maximum temperature would hover around 37°C till Wednesday. On Monday, the maximum temperature was 34°C, three degrees Celsius below normal.

Ashish Sen, director, India Meteorological Department, Patna, said: “We had expected that the maximum temperature would fall by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius with the entry of easterly winds in the region but the winds were much stronger. It was blowing at an average speed of 18-20kmph on Sunday evening, which led to a steep fall of six degrees Celsius in the day temperature from Saturday to Sunday. The easterly current was strong on Monday too. The maximum temperature is expected to be around 36-37°C till Wednesday.”

Though weathermen had predicted thunderstorm activities in Patna the past week, they negated the possibility of any in the current spell. “Easterly winds will continue to blow in the state till Thursday. However, except for some places in eastern Bihar, thunderstorm activities or precipitation is not expected in the rest of the state, including Patna, in the current spell,” said Sen.

The mercury column in the city would travel northwards Thursday onwards with the return of the dry easterly winds though. “The temperature could reach around 41 degrees Celsius by the weekend,” cautioned Sen.