Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned that rising sea surface temperatures across Indonesian waters are intensifying extreme weather events.
“The sea surface temperature in Indonesia is getting warmer and warmer. As it rises, the air temperature also increases, which accelerates the hydrological cycle,” said BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati on Sunday (October 5, 2025), as reported by CNN Indonesia.
Dwikorita explained that warmer sea temperatures lead to faster evaporation, triggering more rapid and massive cloud formation.
The warming also creates temperature disparities between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, driving moist air toward the Indonesian archipelago.
“When there’s a difference in sea surface temperature between the Indian Ocean and Indonesia, moist air flows from the Indian Ocean to our region,” she said. “The same thing happens with the Pacific Ocean.”
According to BMKG, this influx of moist air from both oceans strengthens cloud development across Indonesia. As the waters warm, cloud formation intensifies, heightening the risk of extreme weather.
The situation can worsen further with regional phenomena such as the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), a tropical weather pattern that moves clusters of rain clouds along the equator.
“On top of that, there’s also the Madden-Julian Oscillation a regional phenomenon involving a band of rain clouds moving along the equator across the Indian Ocean from the eastern coast of Africa,” she explained.
Read Also:
Indonesia to Enforce Age Classifications for All Video Games Starting January 2026
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) forecasted heavier rainfall across several regions of Indonesia this week. Most areas are expected to experience moderate to heavy rain.
According to the agency, the condition is driven by the interaction of global, regional, and local atmospheric phenomena that have increased atmospheric instability, creating favorable conditions for the growth of rain-producing convective clouds.
“Based on the latest atmospheric dynamics, the public is advised to stay alert for potential extreme weather, including moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning, strong winds, and high waves in several regions across Indonesia,” BMKG said in its Weekly Weather Outlook for the period of October 14–20, 2025.
