BMKG Warns of Year-End Disasters as Rainy Season Approaches - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned local governments of potential hydrometeorological disasters as the rainy season is expected to arrive in November and December 2026.
BMKG Deputy for Climatology Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan explained in a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday that 185 seasonal zones (ZOM), or 24.66 percent of Indonesia's land area, will enter the rainy season in November, followed by 266 ZOM, or 17.3 percent of the land area, in December.
"The start of this year's rainy season in 529 seasonal zones, or 61.08 percent of the land area, has been delayed compared to the climatological average," he said.
Ardhasena emphasized that the period between the onset of the rainy season and its peak is very short and close together.
The peak of the rainy season is projected to occur in December 2026 (155 ZOM), January 2027 (162 ZOM), and February 2027 (190 ZOM), with the duration of the rainy season in 482 ZOM predicted to be shorter than normal.
"The period between the start of the rainy season and the peak is relatively close and the duration is shorter, so we need to be aware of surges in rainfall that could potentially trigger flooding and landslides," he said.
Despite the shorter duration, the weather agency recorded that accumulated rainfall during the 2026/2027 rainy season across 510 ZOM (69.7 percent of the land area) will be within the normal category and above normal in 147 ZOM (18.5 percent of the land area).
To that end, the BMKG issued a series of cross-sectoral recommendations, ranging from adjusting the planting schedule for short-term varieties in the food sector, optimizing drainage and reservoir capacity in the water and energy sectors, to strengthening hydrometeorological disaster mitigation and managing the risk of dengue fever in the health sector.
The forecast for the rainy season and the potential for wet hydrometeorological disasters, particularly floods, landslides, and tornadoes, deserves serious attention across sectors.
Based on the disaster history of previous years, in the November-December period, very heavy rainfall, exacerbated by Cyclone Senyar, triggered floods and landslides, resulting in significant casualties and infrastructure damage in West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh.
