Asian Winter Monsoon to Bring Extreme Weather to Indonesia, BMKG Says

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Extreme weather in the form of heavy rains and strong winds is expected in many Indonesian provinces this Friday, January 5, 2024, according to the early weather warning issued by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). The provinces include Aceh, Bali, Yogyakarta, and Papua.

Guswanto, deputy for meteorology at the agency, explained that the Asian winter monsoon, which is associated with the westerly wind season, could be one of the factors triggering extreme weather in parts of the archipelago.

“The Asian monsoon is starting to show its impact on the potential increase in wet air masses around Indonesia, so the growth of rain clouds in January is predicted to be fairly intense,” Guswanto said.

Apart from that, he mentioned that the Madden-Jullian Oscillation (MJO) has entered the Indonesian territory, which could indirectly raise the likelihood of moderate to severe rainfall in several regions for the upcoming week.

“This condition is exacerbated by the Rossby wave activity in western Indonesia, which will persist for the next five days,” he said.

Guswanto went on to mention that the formation of a convergence zone around Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan regions is also another dynamic factor that strengthens the potential for heavy rain. 

“BMKG calls on the public and related agencies to remain vigilant for possible extreme weather in the form of moderate to heavy rain with lightning and strong winds for the next week,” Guswanto concluded.

ANTARA

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