TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A researcher at the Center for Climate and Atmospheric Research at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Didi Satiadi, explained the reason behind heavy rains that caused floods and landslides amid the hot temperatures in several parts of Indonesia.

Didi said this condition is the characteristic of April, which is in the transition period. "The weather in April during the transition period is usually like that; very hot during the day and local rains that are quite heavy in the afternoon/evening," Didi said via text message to Tempo on Thursday, April 27, 2023.

According to Didi, relatively strong local heating could still encourage the convection process, and with a sufficient supply of water vapor, it could quickly produce cloud growth and even heavy rains like what happened in Bandung and Bekasi.

As for the higher air temperature than the previous year, Didi claimed there were other factors, such as the apparent position of the Sun, which has just crossed the equator or about one month after the equinox on March 21. So, it is not surprising that the air tends to be scorching hot.

Additionally, the Asian monsoons are already getting weaker while the Australian monsoons are just about to strengthen. When the monsoon wind is rather weak, local heating becomes more dominant, especially during the day. However, the dry Australian monsoon winds tend to reduce the amount of water vapor over Indonesia's territory so the process of cloud growth is lessened.

With lesser cloud cover, the solar radiation reaching the surface increases. As a result, heat accumulated near the surface is not propagated fast enough so the air temperature tends to rise.

This is coupled with the phenomenon of urban heat islands, which is marked by a surge in the city’s temperature compared to the temperature in its surrounding area. Not to mention global warming and climate change.

"Therefore, the apparent position of the sun, the change of seasons, the dynamics of the atmosphere which tends to be weak, the urban heat island phenomenon, and climate change contribute to the air temperature which feels hotter recently," Didi emphasized.

MARIA FRANSISCA LAHUR

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