Storm, hail heralds arrival of dry season
Storm, hail heralds arrival of dry season
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The strong winds and hail that hit Ciputat and Pamulang
districts in Tangerang over the weekend were precursors of the
dry season, a staffer at the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency
(BMG) said.
A forecaster on duty at the BMG said on Sunday that the storm
had been caused by high air pressure that had accelerated the
formation of cloud in some areas in Jakarta.
"In those locations, clouds formed quickly at a very low
altitude -- only 500 meters above the ground," Ramlan was quoted
by Antara as saying.
In Ciputat and Pamulang, south of Jakarta, high winds and hail
occurred on Saturday, the second time in Greater Jakarta since
January.
The brief storm also uprooted a number of trees in both areas.
Darul, a resident of the Taman Kedaung housing complex in
Ciputat, said that the hail fell for around 15 minutes, adding
that the hailstones were the size of pebbles.
"The noise (of the hail) was exactly the same as if my house
was being hit by thousands of small stones. I came out and found
the hailstones were in fact the size of pebbles," he told The
Jakarta Post by phone.
Darul also said that some trees had been uprooted and blocked
roads, causing traffic congestion in the area.
A resident at the Jakarta Police's Mobile Brigade housing
complex in Ciputat said that the hail had damaged the roof of his
house.
On Jan. 30, hailstones fell for about 10 minutes on some parts
of the capital, including Senayan and Bintaro. High winds from
Cyclone Linda that accompanied the hail uprooted dozens of trees
in South Jakarta.
Ramlan also commented that the high temperatures in Jakarta
over the last few days was another sign of the arrival of the dry
season. "The high temperatures were influenced by the converging
in the Indian Ocean of Typhoon Oscar from the northern hemisphere
and Cyclone Fay in the southern hemisphere," he said.
He said that the two storms had caused higher temperatures as
their convergence had generated high air pressure.
"As the result, in the eastern part of Jakarta, for example,
the average temperature during the day reached up to 35 degrees
celsius in comparison with the normal temperature of around 32
degrees," he said.