When Will the 2026 Dry Season Begin in Indonesia? BMKG Explains

Jakarta — Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that the 2026 rainy season will end gradually across various regions of Indonesia. For southern areas such as Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara, the peak of the rainy season is estimated to conclude between February and March.

BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani explained that the timing of the rainy season’s end cannot be standardised across the country due to Indonesia’s vast geographical expanse. The highly diverse climatic characteristics mean that each region has a different seasonal transition schedule.

“Indonesia’s territory is very large. For the areas we’re discussing—Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara—the rainy season will end around February to March. Then April, May, June through to September will be the dry season,” Fathani said during a meeting at Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, 28 January 2026.

Consequently, the Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara regions are expected to begin their transition towards the dry season from April onwards, after rainfall gradually decreases from late February through March. The dry season in these areas is projected to last until approximately September.

BMKG also forecasts that the rainy season will return to southern Indonesia only towards the end of the year. “The rainy season will resume from October,” Fathani added.

Meanwhile, a different seasonal pattern occurs in Indonesia’s equatorial regions, particularly in northern Sumatra. These areas experience two rainy seasons and two dry seasons within a single year.

“However, it should be noted that areas near the equator, particularly in the northern regions, have a different pattern. For example, in Sumatra—Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra—they experience two rainy seasons and two dry seasons,” he explained.

Currently, several regions including Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, and West Sumatra have already begun entering the early dry season, although conditions remain relatively humid.

BMKG projects that rainfall could potentially return to these areas during the April to June period before the next dry season begins.

Fathani stressed that these climate characteristic differences mean the rainy season’s end in Indonesia cannot be equalised between southern and equatorial regions. “There is a difference between the climatic characteristics of areas near the equator and southern areas such as Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara,” he stated firmly.