Light rain forecast for most of western Indonesia today
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) forecasts that weather conditions in most major cities in western Indonesia will be dominated by light to moderate rain today, Friday.
BMKG forecaster Sastia explained that this condition is triggered by increased cloud growth due to active atmospheric dynamics moving in the western part of the archipelago. “Light rain is expected to occur in most areas of Sumatra, Palangka Raya, and Samarinda,” she said.
Sastia urged the public to be aware of the potential for more extreme weather in the form of heavy rain that could be accompanied by lightning in several other urban areas on Kalimantan Island. Based on weather analysis data, the potential for high-intensity thunderstorms should be watched by residents in the Banjarmasin and Tanjung Selor areas throughout the day.
The wet weather conditions in western Indonesia are strongly influenced by the formation of a cyclonic circulation currently active in the Indian Ocean west of West Sumatra. This circulation system forms a wind convergence area that extends along the waters west of North Sumatra to West Sumatra, as well as in the North Natuna Sea and South China Sea.
Although rain is predicted to drench most of the western region, BMKG notes that sunny to cloudy conditions still have the potential to cover the cities of Banda Aceh, Serang, Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, and Surabaya. Meanwhile, a slightly different weather phenomenon is forecast to occur in the downstream area of Yogyakarta, where the city’s air conditions are predicted to be potentially covered by thin smoke or haze.
Moderate rain is anticipated in Nabire, while sunny, cloudy, to overcast conditions are expected in Denpasar, Kupang, Makassar, Palu, Gorontalo, Manado, Ternate, and Merauke. To anticipate sudden weather changes in urban areas, BMKG continues to urge the public to regularly monitor the latest weather information released through their official digital platforms or social media channels.