BMKG Warns Jakarta's Sweltering Heat to Persist Until Late September

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has identified a number of factors causing the air temperature in parts of DKI Jakarta and its surrounding areas to feel significantly hotter and more stifling in recent days, with the conditions predicted to last until late September. Deputy for Climatology at BMKG, Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan, stated during a press conference on the ‘Development of Indonesia’s 2026 Dry Season’ in Jakarta on Wednesday that the hot weather phenomenon is triggered by the sun’s culmination position moving directly over the horizon of Java Island, coinciding with the dry season period. He explained that before entering the extreme temperature spike phase at the end of September, the capital region will first face dry air characteristics accompanied by reduced humidity levels throughout July and August. The combination of decreasing humidity in the middle of the year and rising temperatures in October is a typical annual climate cycle affecting the downstream areas of Java Island during the peak of the dry season. The impact of this year’s El Niño phenomenon is also projected to extend the duration of the hot weather, with the Greater Jakarta area generally confirmed to experience a much longer dry season period than normal conditions. Based on reports presented by BMKG, the northern part of DKI Jakarta reportedly entered the early dry season starting in May, while the southern part of Jakarta only followed suit this June. Besides causing temperature anomalies and extending the dry season, the impact of El Niño on the capital region also directly affects air quality degradation due to reduced rainfall intensity. Ardhasena noted that the lack of rain in the coming months will deprive the atmospheric layer above Jakarta of its natural instrument to wash away pollution particles produced by daily transportation activities and factories. Therefore, BMKG urged residents of this megapolitan area to anticipate the changing weather patterns by maintaining their physical health and food and drink intake, as well as referring to official government weather information channels during their activities.