Hot Temperatures Hit Indonesia, Highest in Deli Serdang

Clear skies and hot temperatures have hit a number of regions in Indonesia in the last few days.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Suhu Panas Melanda Indonesia, Tertinggi di Deli Serdang

KOMPAS/FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

Three young children walked on the embankment of West Flood Canal, Petamburan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (20/3/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — After the heavy rain that hit last week, clear skies and hot temperatures have hit several areas in Indonesia in recent days. Nationally, the highest temperature was recorded in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, while in Jabodetabek it was recorded in Ciputat, South Tangerang.

According to data from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the highest daily temperature from Tuesday (19/3/2024) to Wednesday (20/3/2024) morning was recorded at the Deli Serdang Geophysical Station, which reached 35.6 degrees Celsius. Next, a temperature of 35.5 degrees Celsius was recorded at the Mozez Kilangin Meteorology Station in Central Papua and the Kertajati Meteorology Station in West Java.

"Clear and cloudy weather in Jakarta in recent days has caused temperatures in Jakarta to start increasing," said Head of Public Meteorology Center BMKG Andri Ramdhani on Wednesday (20/3/2024).

Also read: The Reason Behind Jakarta's Current Blue Sky

For the Jabodetabek area, according to BMKG observations, the maximum temperature recorded was 34 degrees Celsius in Ciputat on March 18, 2024. Meanwhile, on March 19, 2024, the maximum temperatures recorded were 35.2 degrees Celsius in Ciputat, 34.8 degrees Celsius in Kemayoran, and 34.3 degrees Celsius in Cengkareng, West Jakarta.

For the current bright and blue sky weather, according to Andri, it is a natural phenomenon that can occur in any season. This can happen due to several factors, such as relatively strong wind conditions, sufficiently dry air humidity, intense sunlight, and atmospheric particles.

Climate expert from BMKG, Siswanto, stated that if there were Madden-Jullian Oscillation (MJO) wet phase last week, it is now entering a dry phase. "MJO's wet phase has shifted to quadrant 6 in the eastern Indonesia and western Pacific region," he said.

This causes Indonesia, especially the central and western regions, to be drier. "However, this condition only applies to the southern part of Indonesia, in the north and equator, as well as the eastern part of Indonesia, the influence of the monsoon and rainy season is still felt. This variability only lasts for a few days up to the end of the week. For next week, rain may still be present in Jabodetabek. Sporadically, afternoon to evening rains may still occur in some regions," he said.

Andri stated that the tendency of extreme weather in Indonesia's regions for the upcoming week is expected to decrease. However, there is still a need to be cautious about the potential for moderate to heavy rain in certain areas of Indonesia.

The system can result in increased wave heights and the potential for significant weather in some regions.

Andri added that the phenomenon of Equatorial Rossby waves and Kelvin waves occurs mainly in the eastern part of Indonesia. Additionally, there are still residual effects of Tropical Cyclone Megan on the northern coast of Australia. "This system can cause an increase in wave height and the potential for significant weather conditions in certain regions," he said.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A row of fishing boats was lined up along the coast of Depok Beach, Bantul, Yogyakarta Special Region, on Friday (19/1/2024). Fishermen along the south coast of DIY were unable to go out to sea due to the threat of high waves that were predicted to reach up to 4 meters as a result of the bad weather caused by tropical cyclone Anggrek.

In addition, there is currently a dry air intrusion crossing the eastern Pacific Ocean towards the Philippines. This can lift the moist air in front of the intrusion boundary to become warmer and more humid, namely in North Sulawesi, North Maluku, West Papua, and Northern Papua.

Highest February temperature

Globally, data shows anomalous temperature increase that has occurred since 2023, as reported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in their State of the Global Climate 2023. The report states that 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded. According to the WMO, the current global surface temperature average is at 1.45 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline temperature of 1850. This is the warmest 10-year period ever recorded.

The report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) of the European Union shows that the temperature during February 2024 in the world was recorded as the hottest in history with a global average of 13.54 degrees Celsius, which is 0.91 degrees Celsius higher than the monthly average between 1991-2020.

Also read: WMO Sounds Danger Alarm, All Global Warming Indicators Hit Record

Based on an analysis of 116 monitoring stations reported by Adityo Wicaksono from BMKG, the average air temperature in February 2024 in Indonesia was 27.36 degrees Celsius. The normal climatological air temperature for February 2024 in Indonesia during the period of 1991-2020 is 26.42 degrees Celsius.

Based on these values, the average air temperature anomaly in February 2024 showed a positive anomaly with a value of 0.94 degrees Celsius. Indonesia's air temperature anomaly in February 2024 is the highest anomaly value observed since 1981.

KOMPAS/FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

A resident shields their face from the sun while walking in the Dukuh Atas area of Jakarta on Wednesday (20/3/2024).

Generally, in the Indonesian region, the average air temperature anomaly at each station in February 2024 showed a positive anomaly value, or higher than its climatological average. The maximum anomaly was recorded at the Gusti Syamsir Alam Meteorology Station, Kotabaru Regency, which reached 2 degrees Celsius hotter.

The difference in average air temperature between February 2024 and the previous month, or January 2024, based on observations from 160 BMKG stations throughout Indonesia, generally indicates an increase in temperature. The largest temperature increase was recorded at the Hang Nadim Meteorological Station in Batam, at 1.3 degrees Celsius.