BMKG Warns Of Heavy Rain Accompanied By Lightning In Several Big Cities

Illustration of rain (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued an early warning in the form of potential heavy rain which could be accompanied by lightning and strong winds in several major cities of Indonesia on Sunday, November 16 and asked residents to increase vigilance.

In the BMKG weather early warning system, big cities on the island of Sumatra have the potential to experience light to moderate rain, namely Medan, Pekanbaru, Padang, Tanjung Pinang, Jambi, and Bandar Lampung.

Meanwhile, Bengkulu, Palembang, and Pangkal Pinang are forecasted to experience heavy rain accompanied by lightning. Aceh is forecasted to be thick cloudy," said BMKG Diah forecaster, quoted by Antara, Sunday, November 16.

Heavy rain accompanied by lightning also has the potential to occur in Jakarta and Bandung. Light to moderate rain is forecast to flush the cities of Serang, Semarang, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya.

"The islands of Bali and Lombok are thick cloudy. Kupang is predicted to experience heavy rain accompanied by lightning," said Diah.

On the island of Kalimantan, the potential for light to moderate rain is evenly distributed in big cities such as Pontianak, Tanjung Selor, Samarinda, Palangka Raya, and Banjarmasin.

Likewise in Sulawesi, he said, light to moderate rain is predicted to be evenly distributed throughout major cities, namely in Makassar, Mamuju, Palu, Gorontalo, Manado, and Kendari.

Moving to the easternmost area, he continued, all cities such as Ternate, Ambon, Sorong, Manokwari, Nabire, Jayapura, Jayawijaya, and Merauke are predicted to experience light to moderate rain.

Meanwhile, Head of BMKG Teuku Faisal Fathani said that he is currently entering a period of increasing rainfall which marks the transition to the peak of the rainy season.

Based on the analysis of the last three months, he said, rainfall continues to increase significantly, with most areas in the medium to high category.

Faisal explained that the weak La Nina phenomenon is currently underway and is predicted to last until March 2026. However, the impact on increasing rainfall is considered not too significant at the peak of the rainy season.

"Weak La Nina will last until the beginning of 2026, but at the peak of the rainy season the impact on increasing rainfall is not too significant. Even so, high rainfall in that period still needs to be watched out for," he said

BMKG urges local governments and the public to remain alert to the possibility of extreme weather and its impact on daily activities, especially in areas with high rainfall.