BMKG Predicts 2026 Dry Season to Arrive Earlier, Beginning in April

JAKARTA — The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) predicts that the early start of the 2026 dry season in most parts of Indonesia will come earlier than the 30-year climatological average, namely in April. ‘The early onset of the dry season for most of Indonesia is forecast for April, with 114 dry-season zones, around 16.3 percent of the total 699 zones in Indonesia,’ BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani said at a press conference, cited from Kompas TV, on Wednesday 4 March 2026. Teuku said BMKG routinely provides climate information to support various development sectors, from monthly rainfall forecasts, climate bulletins, to forecasts of wet and dry seasons. Next, in May 2026, 184 dry-season zones or 26.3 percent of areas are projected to enter the dry season. Meanwhile, in June 2026, 163 zones or 23.3 percent of areas will follow into the dry season. Teuku explained that the early onset will begin from the Nusa Tenggara region, then move westward to cover the rest of Indonesia. In comparison with the normal period 1991-2020, BMKG predicts the early start of the 2026 dry season across most of Indonesia will be earlier than normal. ‘Some projections show the onset remains at normal levels, i.e. in 173 dry-season zones or 23.7 percent of all zones,’ Teuku said. BMKG also predicts that the character of the 2026 dry season in most of Indonesia will tend to be drier than normal. A total of 451 dry-season zones are forecast to experience rainfall in the below-normal category during the dry period, or drier than their climatological average. ‘The peak of the dry season in most of Indonesia, or in 429 zones or about 61.4 percent of the total, is predicted to occur in August 2026,’ Teuku said.