Forest and Land Fire Haze Begins to Blanket Java Sea Waters

SEMARANG — Haze from forest and land fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra has been detected over the Java Sea. However, it has not reached the shore or coastal areas, particularly in Central Java.

“Based on satellite monitoring at 1pm today, the haze has reached the Java Sea in the direction of Central Java. So it has not yet reached Central Java,” said Noor Indah Indriyani, a forecaster at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG) Ahmad Yani Meteorological Station in Semarang, on Friday (16 October 2026).

She said the haze had not yet reached the coast. “Satellite images show that the haze carried from Kalimantan and Sumatra has spread as far as the Java Sea, the waters between Kalimantan and Java. But it has not reached the shore; it is still out in the middle,” she said.

Noor explained that the spread of haze to an area is affected by several factors, including atmospheric conditions, wind and humidity. The Ahmad Yani Meteorological Station in Semarang is continuing to monitor the movement of haze from forest and land fires in both Kalimantan and Sumatra.

“For now, the latest update is that it has reached the Java Sea,” Noor said.

According to Noor, winds are currently blowing from the east to the south-east because the dry season is still under way. Humidity is relatively low, or conditions are tending to be dry, also as a result of the dry season.

Noor said that under the current wind pattern, haze from fires in Kalimantan or Sumatra could enter Central Java. “But the winds are not always the same at every atmospheric layer. For now, the haze carried from Kalimantan and Sumatra has reached only the Java Sea,” she said.