North Sumatra Braces for Another Week of Heavy Rain, BMKG Warns

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has stated that parts of North Sumatra still have the potential to be drenched by rain due to wind shear and active atmospheric wave activity. “Additionally, this is also due to fairly unstable air conditions that support convective processes and the formation of rain clouds,” said Forecaster Putri Hafizah from BBMKG Region I in Medan on Tuesday. The presence of a cyclone seed in the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra also triggers the formation of shear lines and convergence areas along the west coast to the eastern slopes of North Sumatra. Furthermore, active atmospheric wave activity and warm sea surface temperatures increase the potential for rain cloud formation. The unstable atmospheric conditions also support convection processes, thereby increasing the chance of convective cloud growth. These conditions have the potential to trigger convective cloud growth in the afternoon to evening, which could cause moderate to heavy intensity rain, accompanied by lightning and short-duration strong winds in several areas of North Sumatra. “The weather in North Sumatra over the next week will generally be dominated by moderate to heavy rain conditions,” she said. Areas with the potential for moderate to heavy intensity rain include Langkat Regency, Binjai, Medan, Deli Serdang, Serdang Bedagai, Tebing Tinggi, Batubara, Asahan, North Labuhanbatu, South Labuhanbatu, and Pakpak Bharat.