BMKG: 'Bediding' is Not an Extreme Weather Phenomenon

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG) has clarified narratives circulating on social media, asserting that the ‘bedding’ phenomenon—a drop in air temperature from night to morning—is not an extreme weather event.

“It is important to understand that bediding is not a phenomenon that ‘strikes’ like extreme weather, but rather a seasonal condition where the air feels colder due to reduced cloud cover,” stated BMKG Director of Public Meteorology, Ida Pramuwardani, in Jakarta on Saturday.

She explained that the intensifying cold from night to morning occurs because terrestrial radiation can be released directly into the atmosphere due to the absence of clouds. This condition is further reinforced by low humidity and the increasing influence of dry air masses flowing from Australia.

The BMKG meteorology expert added that the characteristics of this seasonal cold typically begin to be felt in June and can increase from July to August, particularly when nighttime weather is clear and the easterly winds, or the Australian Monsoon, strengthen.

BMKG also emphasised that the bediding phenomenon does not occur uniformly across Indonesia, but only in regions with clear skies, low humidity, and decreasing rainfall. The areas that typically experience this condition earlier and more distinctly are dominated by southern Indonesia, including East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Bali, southern Java, the highlands of Java, and parts of southern Sumatra, such as South Sumatra and Lampung.

Consequently, she advised the public to wear warm clothing and increase water intake to remain comfortable during activities if their region experiences these colder-than-usual conditions.

This phenomenon was previously widely discussed by netizens across various social media channels, including the Instagram account @4climate, which noted that cold temperatures were beginning to affect several southern regions of Indonesia. Specifically, the Batu area in Malang, East Java, was reported to have temperatures as low as 13-16 degrees Celsius between 03:00 and 06:00.

While the definition of bediding in those posts generally aligned with meteorological explanations, BMKG deemed it necessary to provide education so that the public can distinguish between normal seasonal climate variations and extreme weather phenomena, in response to public comments on social media platforms.