Heatwaves Sweep Asia, BMKG: Indonesia's Hot Weather Still Normal

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Increasingly hot weather has recently hit Indonesia after extreme heatwaves swept over large parts of Asia. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) explained that in Indonesia, the hot weather is caused by the sun’s apparent movement.

"It's a normal cycle and happens annually," said the Head of the Bandung BMKG Geophysics Station, Teguh Rahayu, on Thursday.

According to Teguh, the sun's current position, which is not far north of the equator, still causes the equatorial region to receive maximum solar radiation. This causes the air temperature in Indonesia, including West Java, to feel hotter than usual.

"The potential for similar hot air temperatures can recur at the same period every year," said Rahayu.

Rahayu explained that most regions in Indonesia have entered a transitional period from rainy to dry season. This condition potentially causes extreme weather, such as short and heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning, strong winds, tornadoes, and hail.

The weather during the transition season often forms a pattern of a rainy evening after hot and dry air during the day. This happens because of heavy solar radiation from morning to noon, which triggers a convection process or the lifting of air masses from the earth's surface into the atmosphere, thus triggering the formation of clouds. "If atmospheric conditions become unstable, the potential for the formation of convective clouds such as cumulonimbus (CB) clouds will increase," he said. CB clouds are closely related to lightning, strong winds, tornadoes, and hail.

Air temperature rises in Bandung

Over the last week, BMKG Bandung Geophysics Station recorded that the hottest temperature in the region has crept up. On April 26, 2024, it was 29.6 degrees Celsius, April 27 (29.4 degrees), April 28 (30.4 degrees), April 29 (30.2 degrees), April 30 (30.6 degrees), and May 1 (30 degrees).

Based on the results of BMKG analysis, the maximum temperature in Bandung occurs from 12:00 p.m. to 03:00 p.m. WIB. "This is caused by maximum solar radiation and the formation of convective clouds," said Rahayu.

However, Rahayu claimed that the air temperature was still within Bandung's normal category. The highest maximum temperature in Bandung recorded was 35.8 degrees Celsius on October 8, 2023. Currently, the maximum temperature in the “City of Flowers” is estimated to be around 30-33 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature forecast in the West Java region is around 35-37 degrees Celsius.

ANWAR SISWADI

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