Indonesia Braces For Floods And Gales As Rainy Season Intensifies

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Indonesia’s weather agency has warned of a higher risk of floods, landslides, and gales, now that much of the country has entered the height of its rainy season, with heavy downpours already drenching parts of Java.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said that nearly 44 per cent of the nation’s regions have now entered the rainy period, with the peak expected between Dec 2025 and Jan 2026.

“Moderate to heavy rain has already been recorded in Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, and Yogyakarta, with daily totals reaching up to 150 millimetres in some areas,” BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati said in a statement.

She said active monsoon winds and warmer sea surface temperatures had made the atmosphere unstable and moisture-rich, driving the recent increase in rainfall.

BMKG also warned that tropical cyclone activity south of Indonesia is expected to intensify this month, bringing the risk of heavy rain and rough seas near Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara.

Heavy rain is forecast across much of the archipelago this week, including Sumatra, Java, Bali, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Maluku, with weather alerts issued for Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, and Papua.

The agency urged residents to stay alert, avoid sheltering under trees or billboards during storms, and get the latest forecasts through the InfoBMKG mobile app.

-- BERNAMA