BMKG Counters Viral Weather Forecast of Possible Storm Over Greater Jakarta

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) countered the viral weather forecast of extreme rainfall and a monstrous storm over the Greater Jakarta Area, or Jabodetabek, that had been forecasted on Wednesday. The agency slammed that initial prediction by forecasting light rainfall over Greater Jakarta and West Java. 

“God willing, the areas of West Java and Greater Jakarta on that day will still be under control and relatively safe,” said BMKG Chief Dwikorita Karnawati on Tuesday, December 27. “We should start to be wary on December 29.”

Misused Term

Majalah Tempo and Tempo.co reporters asked Dwikorita in a video conference about the term ‘storm’ which she said might have been misused in the weather prediction that had gone viral. She elaborated that storms bring high-intensity rainfall and also strong whirlwinds that could cause casualties. 

She referred to the Seroja Storm that caused flash floods to occur in East Nusa Tenggara earlier in April this year and a storm that is detected growing above the northern part of Papua and Indonesia’s southwest regions. Fortunately, this is deemed to travel further from Indonesia. 

“The one in Jakarta is actually potential heavy rainfall that may evolve into extreme downpour… but that is not a storm,” said Dwikorita.

Besides, she added, forecasts are not possible to be made in the short term. BMKG, said Dwikorita, had distributed extreme weather forecasts on December 21 and verified the weather monitoring tools on the field.

MARIA FRANSISCA LAHUR

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