Nurfika Osman

Nation Facing a Long Summer As BMKP Forecasts Late Rainy Season

Much of the country will have to suffer through another long month of hot, dry weather, with the rainy season expected to arrive late in more than half of the archipelago.

“About 51.8 percent of 220 zones in the country will have a late rainy season,” Sri Woro, the head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), said on Tuesday.

She said areas that would experience a late rainy season included Aceh, Bangka, most of Java (including Jakarta), Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Papua.

According to Sri Woro, 114 of the climatic zones monitored by the agency would experience a delay of 10 to 30 days before the onset of the rainy season, caused in part by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Early forecasts suggest the country will be affected severely by El Nino this year, prompting the central government to instruct regional administrators to take necessary steps to prepare for a shortfall in precipitation.

“Only 3.2 percent, or seven zones, will start the rainy season in September,” Sri Woro said, referring to areas including the eastern part of Aceh, Agam district in West Sumatra and Riau.

The rainy season normally runs from September through March.

Sri Woro said the rainy season would arrive in 29.5 percent of the country by October, and another 46.8 percent by November.

“The whole country will experience rain by December,” she said.

The BMKG predicts that the rainy season will arrive in Jakarta in November, along with Bekasi, the eastern part of Central Java, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara, North Maluku and Papua.

Separately, Suroso Hadianto, the head of climatology and air quality at the BMKG, said only 45 percent of the country would have a normal rainy season.

He said these areas included the northern part of Sumatra, Manado in North Sulawesi and the eastern part of Aceh.

Suroso also said that only 3.2 percent of the country, including Brebes and Klaten in Central Java, and western parts of Sulawesi, would see an early start to the rainy season.

However, despite the late onset of the rainy season to much of the country, Suroso expected that more than 60 percent of the country would receive normal rainfall for the year.

“At least 61.4 percent of the country will see normal rain, 35 percent will be below normal and 3.6 percent will suffer torrential downpours,” he said.

He said the areas that would experience heavy rain included South Sumatra, Jambi, parts of Central Java and Jayapura in Papua.

“Jakarta, most parts of Bali, Yogyakarta and West Nusa Tenggara will experience normal rainfall,” Suroso said.

Widada Sulistya, the director of the Center of Public Meteorology, said most people traveling to their hometowns for the Idul Fitri holiday would generally enjoy fine weather.

“There is only a small chance of rain, so people should not be worried about the coming week,” Widada said, although the official was referring only to areas across Java and in South Sumatra.

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