TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of Information Officer at the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, Hary Tirto Djatmiko, explains that equinox considered as an astronomical phenomenon where the sun passes the earth's equator. This phenomenon happens periodically on March 21 and September 23 each year.
This phenomenon causes the outer layer of the earth, which is the northern subtropical hemisphere and the southern hemisphere, to be relatively similar. “The phenomenon doesn’t always trigger a drastic hike in air temperature, as we know Indonesia’s maximum average temperature is 32-36 degree,” Hary said on Wednesday, March 15, 2017.
He emphasized that equinox is significantly different from a heat wave happens in Africa and the Middle East which could cause a sudden increase in air temperature and can last for a long period of time. He said the BMKG urges the public to know that there is nothing to worry about the Equinox effect as such circulating on social media.
“Generally speaking, Indonesia’s general weather currently tends to be moist or wet,” he said. A number of regions in Indonesia are currently entering the transition period. “It’s best that the public keeps anticipating the weather that is pretty hot by increasing their body strength and continue to preserve the health of your family and the environment,” he said.
Earlier this morning, a text message circulated through WhatsApp regarding the equinox phenomena. It stated that the equinox will affect Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore for the next five days. The text message urged the public to not travel outdoor from 12:00 – 15:00 since the temperature change will spike up to 40 degree Celsius.
REZKI ALVIONITASARI
