Visibility in North Kalimantan drops to 500–4,000 metres due to forest fire haze

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Tanjung Harapan Meteorological Station has reported that visibility in North Kalimantan currently ranges from just 500 to 4,000 metres, with the worst conditions occurring at night.

“In general, weather conditions in the observation area during the period 30–31 August 2026 were dominated by smoke with visibility of around 500–4,000 metres,” said Agus Ariyanto, a forecaster at the BMKG Tanjung Harapan Meteorological Station, in Tanjung Selor, Bulungan, on Monday.

Agus said the worst conditions caused by haze from forest and land fires occur at night, when visibility drops to as low as 500 metres and is sometimes accompanied by fog due to high humidity and very light winds, allowing smoke and water vapour to accumulate more easily near the surface.

“The hotspots are mainly in Bulungan Regency, with several points in Malinau and Nunukan,” he said.

The concentration of hotspots, he added, is particularly visible in Bulungan Regency in the Tanjung Palas Timur area and its surroundings. He noted that the presence of hotspots can indicate a source of smoke, but it cannot be confirmed that all observed smoke originates from these points, as smoke dispersion is heavily influenced by wind direction and speed as well as atmospheric conditions.

He said this situation warrants particular attention, especially for the public and for aviation activities that require good visibility.

Asked whether there is potential for rain in the coming week, Agus said there is some potential but it is very small and localised in nature. “There is potential for rain, but the probability is very small and localised, with light rainfall intensity,” said forecaster Agus Ariyanto.