TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that the 2026 dry season in West Java will arrive earlier than usual and last longer than normal.

According to the BMKG Climatology Station in West Java, rainfall during the dry season is expected to remain below normal across most of the province.

“The dry season is predicted to begin gradually from March to June 2026, with most areas entering it in May,” said Teguh Rahayu, Head of the BMKG Geophysics Station in Bandung, in a written statement on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

BMKG forecasts that the dry season will start in March in about 2 percent of the province, including northern Bekasi Regency, northern Bekasi City, and northwest Karawang. By April, it is expected to cover roughly 10 percent of West Java, including parts of Bekasi, Karawang, northeast Purwakarta, northern Subang, Indramayu, and some areas of Cirebon.

Most of West Java, accounting for 56 percent of the region, is projected to enter the dry season in May, including areas such as Bogor, Sukabumi, Cianjur, Greater Bandung, Garut, Sumedang, Tasikmalaya, Pangandaran, as well as the regions of Cirebon, Indramayu, Majalengka, Kuningan, Ciamis, and Banjar.

By June, an additional 30 percent of the province is expected to experience dry conditions, including most of Bogor, northern Sukabumi, northwest Cianjur, Greater Bandung, southeast Garut, southern Tasikmalaya, and western Pangandaran.

“The peak of the dry season is predicted to occur in August, lasting approximately 13–15 ten-day periods, and is expected to be longer than normal,” Rahayu said.

With below-normal rainfall and a tendency for a longer dry season, BMKG warns of potential impacts, including meteorological drought, reduced availability of clean water, disruption to agricultural irrigation, and an increased risk of forest and land fires.

BMKG urges local governments and the public to anticipate these impacts through better management of water resources and adjustments to the planting calendar.

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