Indonesia is an archipelago located between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, this country is vulnerable to bad weather. In many cases, the damaging weather causes various natural hazards. Consequently, the government must warn the people about the bad weather in Indonesia.
Bad weather in this country is fairly predictable. Moreover, the nation has a weather and meteorological agency to monitor and predict weather-related phenomena. Unfortunately, Indonesia’s weather early warning system needs improvement.
The Triggers of Bad Weather in Indonesia
As a tropical country, Indonesia has two seasons: the wet season and the dry season. During the wet season, most Indonesians experience heavy rainfall, high humidity, and hot temperatures. Meanwhile, the weather in the dry season is hot, sunny, and dry.
The weather in both seasons can turn into an extreme condition. What causes extreme weather in Indonesia? Below are 3 major factors that can trigger damaging weather in this country.
Monsoon
One factor affecting Indonesia’s weather is the monsoon winds. During the dry season, the winds blow from Australia to Asia. Moreover, they blow from Asia to Australia during the wet season.
The former will cause Indonesia to experience dry months from April to September. Meanwhile, the latter brings heavy rainfall from October to March.
Cyclones
Cyclones seldom pass this country. However, they indirectly cause extreme weather events Indonesia. When they close to the Indonesian archipelago, the area will experience heavy rainfall and strong winds. Moreover, the storm triggers tidal floods.
ENSO
El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affects rainfall and wind patterns in Indonesia. During an El Nino, this country will experience prolonged drought. Meanwhile, this nation will have excessive rains during La Nina.
Bad Weather and Weather-Related Hazards in Indonesia
Indonesia experiences several types of bad weather per season. Below are examples of weather phenomena in this country.
Heavy Rainfall
A common bad weather in Indonesia is heavy rainfall. Extreme rainfall frequently occurs in the rainy season, during the La Nina phenomenon, and when a cyclone is active near Indonesian waters. This phenomenon causes floods and landslides.
Flooding can be extremely fatal. It damages homes, bridges, roads, and other infrastructures. In addition, they can drown people or cause them to catch infectious diseases. Meanwhile, landslides can kill people, damage houses and infrastructures, and block roads.
Strong Winds
Strong winds typically occur during a cyclone or a transition period of the two seasons in Indonesia. Moreover, they generally accompany heavy rains. This bad weather causes downed trees, power outages, and damaged roofs.
High Tidal Waves
High tidal waves caused by cyclones or monsoon winds in Indonesian waters are dangerous for fishing activities and sea transportation. Moreover, these waves typically inundate low-lying coastal areas, such as Semarang and Jakarta.
Droughts
Prolonged dry weather can cause extreme droughts in some Indonesian regions, such as east of Java and Nusa Tenggara. These regions are more vulnerable to droughts because they have a tropical savanna climate. Therefore, they have less rainfall per year.
Extreme Temperatures
Indonesia typically has hot and humid weather. During extreme temperatures, the country can be 3 degrees hotter than its maximum daily temperatures. Furthermore, high humidity will make the hot weather feel hotter than it is.
Indonesia’s Weather Early Warning System
Indonesia’s weather and meteorological agency always monitors the weather to anticipate extreme weather events. Moreover, when bad weather is coming, the agency warns people via TV channels, radio stations, and social media accounts.
However, these communication channels are ineffective and inefficient in disseminating weather early warning messages. Several reasons why they are not effective and efficient are not all Indonesians follow the agency’s social media accounts, watch TV, or listen to the radio.
In addition, Indonesia bad weather typically only affects particular regions. Therefore, warning messages broadcasted via TV and radio are not right on target.
Indonesia’s government and weather and meteorological agency can improve their weather early warning system by adding cell broadcast to their emergency communication system. This communication channel can help them quickly disseminate weather warning messages to people in targeted areas.
Those people will receive the warning on their cellphones. Therefore, they can easily and quickly access the extreme weather information. Consequently, they have more time to anticipate bad weather or take action to avoid the impact of extreme weather.
Bad weather in Indonesia is not uncommon. Monsoon winds, ENSO, and cyclones cause the country to experience heavy rainfalls, strong winds, and droughts. Therefore, Indonesia’s government must use cell broadcasters to warn its people. The government can purchase the broadcaster here.
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