Meteorological agency can't rule out El Nino

Meteorological agency can't rule out El Nino

JAKARTA (JP): The national weather agency discounted yesterday
the likelihood of a long dry spell this year but warned that
Indonesia could still be in for a spell of freak weather known as
El Nino.

There had been indications of an El Nino formation in recent
weeks, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.

El Nino, Spanish for "The Boy", is an unusual weather pattern
that causes a rise in water temperatures in the Pacific and
shifts in global winds and rain patterns.

The weather agency said the Southern Oscillation index had
declined into negative figures in the last three months, and
temperatures along the equator in the Eastern Pacific had risen.
Air pressure in Darwin, Australia, had also risen compared to air
pressure in Tahiti, at the other end of the Pacific.

"For Indonesia, there are indications that the temperatures of
the sea's surface have become cooler, falling below average. This
condition leads to a lower chance of cloud formation and rain in
Indonesia," the agency said in a statement.

Last month, the agency did not have enough evidence to support
weather forecasts from the United States which warned of an
impending El Nino this year.

While ruling out the possibility of a long dry spell, the
agency warned the public to anticipate less rainfall than usual
in some parts of Indonesia this year.

"We need to look out for and anticipate the dangers of fire
hitting forests and residential areas, and the possibility of
water shortages and drought," it said.

The agency detected that rainfall had fallen below average in
eastern Indonesia since May. But rainfall in West Java, Sumatra
and most of Kalimantan remained normal. (emb)