Why Have Daytime Temperatures Felt Hotter and More Intense Lately? BMKG Explains

Jakarta – Fachry Radjab, director of climate change at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), has responded to public complaints on social media about the intense hot weather in recent days.

Radjab said several factors were making daytime temperatures feel hot, including the fact that parts of Indonesia are still in the dry season.

“There are several reasons for the hot weather at present. First, some parts of Indonesia are still in the dry-season period,” Fachry told reporters on Wednesday (14 October 2026).

He added that solar radiation this month has reached its peak. This is partly due to the limited cloud cover during the dry season and the El Niño cycle.

“Cloud cover is also very sparse, so solar radiation is at its maximum,” he said.

These factors, Radjab continued, have contributed to hotter-feeling conditions, particularly in southern Indonesia. The sun is positioned over the Southern Hemisphere in October, meaning solar heating is still at its strongest there.

BMKG Chief Secretary Guswanto said stronger solar radiation resulting from limited cloud cover was one factor behind the increased sensation of heat in Jakarta.

“The dry season, together with clearer skies as rainfall decreases and there are fewer clouds, means that more solar radiation reaches the Earth’s surface. Hot weather in Indonesia is often influenced by clear skies and intense sunshine,” Guswanto said.

He said El Niño, which is active in 2026, was also contributing to drier and longer dry-season conditions in several parts of Indonesia.

“For 2026, BMKG has said that El Niño is active and even in the very strong category. It is helping to reduce rainfall in Indonesia, making the dry season drier and longer,” said Guswanto, BMKG’s chief secretary.

In addition to seasonal and climate factors, dry air and urban conditions also affect how hot people feel. Guswanto said the body loses fluids more easily when humidity falls.