Stronger storms to hit Jakarta soon

Stronger storms to hit Jakarta soon

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The stormy weather that hit Jakarta on Friday is still likely to
occur again in the near future because the peak of the rainy
season, which had been forecast for early January, will occur in
mid-February.

Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) senior expert, Paulus
Agus Winarso, said on Saturday that the peak would occur in
February instead, while rainfall could reach up to 100
millimeters per day.

"The peak of the rainy season was to occur at the end of
January and therefore extra heavy rains are very possible in the
next two weeks," he told The Jakarta Post.

BMG had previously forecast 26 consecutive days of rain for
January.

According to Paulus, the delay in the peak of the rainy season
will cause the heaviest rains to fall in the next two weeks.

Therefore, he advised Jakartans to remain alert over the
possibility of major floods because the level of rainfall would
be similar to conditions in early 2002.

Massive flooding paralyzed the capital two years ago resulting
in the deaths of at least 30 people and forcing more than 300,000
others to take refuge.

The violent storm that occurred last Friday was only the
beginning of the rainy season's peak, said Paulus, as indicated
by tropical storm Linda in southern Indonesian waters.

"The storm that hit Jakarta and its surrounding areas
yesterday (Friday) was extraordinary. The storm caused heavy
rains combined with strong winds."

Paulus named poor technology and drastic global environmental
problems as two reasons for the inaccurate weather forecast.

The BMG does not have high-tech equipment for monitoring
changes in the weather that would be required to get the most
accurate weather forecast.

He pointed out that the worldwide environmental damage, which
has caused global warming, also made the work of weather
forecasting more difficult.

"The occurrence of new diseases like bird flu can't be
separated from the global environmental problems. It also affects
a weather forecaster's work."

Paulus gave a tip for people to recognize the signs of
impending heavy rain.

"If the weather is extremely hot and then there are black
clouds, prepare yourselves for heavy rains, and possible floods
if you live in flood-prone areas."