More rain to come, BMG official predicts

More rain to come, BMG official predicts

JAKARTA (JP): Expect more rain. That's the prediction for the
coming week in many areas across the country.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) head of public
relations, Waan Tarmin, said that the current bout of wet weather
was a natural phenomenon during the transitional period before
the start of a dry season.

"The precipitation is caused by the high effectivity of the
warming of the Karimata Straits, the Java Sea, and the Indian
Ocean which forms a lot of clouds," Waan said.

According to Waan, Sumatra, the western part of Java, West
Kalimantan, the northern part of East Kalimantan, most of
Sulawesi Island, north Maluku and most areas in Irian Jaya are
likely to see more moderate to heavy rain, albeit not as heavy
that which hit the capital last week.

There were reports of heavy rain last week in several areas in
Bandung regency which flooded thousands of houses, in Kendari
which ruined vegetable plantations, and in Surabaya which damaged
the tobacco harvest.

Waan also said that the agency's latest biannual weather
forecast predicts that most areas in the country will have a
'wet' dry season this year.

It was expected to come as early as April, due to the rain-
inducing phenomenon La Nina.

When asked about the heavy thundershower which hit Jakarta on
Thursday, Waan said that there is little chance of a recurrence
in the near future.

"Such strong storms occur so rarely...So, Jakartans need not
worry about it."

Thursday, rain and thunderstorms uprooted several trees, and
broken branches littered busy roads.

Waan said the phenomenon was generated by the forming of a
cumulonimbus cloud at a very high altitude.

The cloud formed at the wind shift point above Jakarta. There
was a high level of turbulence and that generated a high level of
friction among the ions of the cloud.

Waan said that the Agency could only forecast such phenomena
six hours in advance.

"It's so very little time to inform the mass media, that's why
we only provide information to the airlines."(08/ind)