BMKG Warns South Sulawesi Residents to Beware of Potential El Nino Until July 2026

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) of Southeast Sulawesi (Sultra) urges the public to be aware of the potential for El Nino phenomena with weak to moderate categories which are estimated to occur in mid-2026.

Head of the Sultra Climate Station Kusairi said that based on BMKG monitoring, the phenomenon has the potential to occur in the period of May, June, to July 2026.

"This phenomenon is expected to occur in May, June, and July 2026, with a chance ranging from 50 to 80 percent," Kusairi said when contacted in Kendari, Monday, quoted by Antara.

He explained that the moderate category of El Nino is characterized by an anomaly in sea surface temperature between 1 to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, for the weak category, the temperature anomaly is in the range of 0.5 to less than 1 degree Celsius.

On this occasion, Kusairi also provided clarification regarding information circulating regarding the term El Nino Godzilla. He emphasized that BMKG does not recognize the term in the official classification of climate phenomena.

"BMKG has never used the term El Nino Godzilla. The classification we use is only weak, moderate, and strong El Nino," he said.

According to him, narratives such as El Nino Godzilla or Super El Nino that often appear on social media are not scientific terminology and do not come from the official release of the BMKG.

He asked residents not to be influenced by issues that cannot be accounted for and always ensure data accuracy through the BMKG's official communication channels.

"The public is urged to be more careful in receiving information related to weather and climate in order to obtain accurate data," said Kusairi.