Dieng Frost: Tourists Urged to Brace for Sub-Zero Temperatures

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has urged tourists to be wary of falling temperatures on the Dieng Plateau in Wonosobo, Central Java, as they give rise to the frost phenomenon known as embun upas.

The temperature drop in Dieng during the dry season is forecast to occur between July and September.

“Tourists visiting between June and September should prepare clothing suited to local conditions, such as thick jackets, gloves and socks,” said the Head of BMKG’s Semarang Meteorological Station, Yoga Sambodo, in Semarang on Thursday (9 July).

He explained that temperatures in the Dieng area during this period could fall below zero degrees Celsius, which causes ice granules to form on the surface, known as embun upas.

Air pressure between June and September, he said, is higher over the Australian continent than over Asia.

Winds blow from Australia towards Asia, passing over Indonesia. This typically marks the start of the dry season, coinciding with the active Australian monsoon.

During the dry season, he said, cloud cover is at a minimum. As a result, the sun feels intensely hot during the day, accompanied by rising air temperatures because there is nothing in the sky blocking the sun’s rays.

“The sky is free of cloud cover,” he said.

BMKG predicts the embun upas phenomenon will peak in August.