East Java to be hardest hit by storm in mid-January
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
The Surabaya Geophysics and Meteorology Agency (BMG) predicted on Wednesday that torrential rains and gale-force winds -- which recently hit several areas in East Java such as Sidoarjo, Kediri, Magetan, Mojokerto and Tuban -- would again sweep the area in the middle of January.
The turbulent weather would even spread and hit other areas outside East Java such as the Central Java capital of Semarang and West Nusa Tenggara province, said Edi Waluyo, an official at the Surabaya's BMG.
Edi said that the storm was the effect of West Monsoon wind and Cyclone Ken. Cyclones occur every 10 years
"In 1994, a similar storm also hit Sidoarjo, Kediri and other areas in East Java," he told The Jakarta Post at his office on Wednesday.
A study by a working group at the BMG, of which Edi is the head, showed that torrential rain and strong winds would occur in the area until March, with between 50 millimeters to 100 mm of rain daily or 400 mm to 700 mm per month.
"The rain will be accompanied by strong winds of more than 50 kilometers per hour. The strong winds will raise the height of waves on the Northern coastal of Java island by 2 meters to 3 meters," he said.
Regencies and municipalities likely to be affected are Banyuwangi, Trenggalek, South Malang, Pacitan, Tulungagung, Situbondo, Probolinggo, Pasuruan, Sidoarjo, Gresik, Lamongan, Tuban, Bojonegoro, Madura, Madiun, Magetan, Ponorogo, Mojokerto, Jombang, Kediri and Surabaya.
"The heavy rain and gale-force winds will reach their peak between Jan. 13 and Jan. 15, and they will then spread to Semarang and the north of West Nusa Tenggara province," he said.
In order to prevent fatalities, Edi has called on local government officials to warn the public ahead of time.
The BMG office has also called on shipping agents to delay sea travel in the middle of January, particularly those ships cruising along the Northern coast of Java.
The officials should not take the weather forecast lightly, he said. "Actually, we had warned officials in the East Java administration through a circular dated Dec. 6. about the recent storm in Sidoarjo that killed one person and damaged over 50 houses. But, unfortunately, the officials apparently had not informed local residents in time," he said.
Meanwhile, Surabaya and other cities in East Java, such as Gresik, Mojokerto, Jombang, Kediri, Nganjuk, Sidoarjo and Malang have seen heavy cloud cover since Monday.
Rain has fallen in Surabaya, the capital of East Java, since Monday, causing flooding in several areas of the city.
Water has inundated, for example, H.R. Mohammad, Rungkut and Dharmawangsa areas here, with floodwater reaching a height of between 50 centimeters to 1 meter.