BMKG Warns of Heavy Rain and Strong Winds for October 12, Four Regions on Alert

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has issued a warning for heavy rain and strong winds across parts of the country on Monday, October 12, 2026, with four regions placed on alert status for the most severe conditions. Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra and West Kalimantan are forecast to see heavy to very heavy rainfall, according to the agency's official Instagram account, @infobmkg, as reported by Kompas.com on Sunday.

A second tier of provinces is expected to receive moderate to heavy rain: Riau, South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Lampung, West Java, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Southwest Papua and Papua. South Sulawesi is separately flagged for potential strong winds. The alerts follow a string of similar daily warnings issued by BMKG through the first half of October.

The warnings come against a backdrop of unusual dryness. In an official release issued Thursday, October 8, BMKG said most of Indonesia was still dominated by dry conditions at the end of September 2026, driven by a very strong El Nino and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, both of which tend to suppress rain cloud formation. During the third ten-day period of September, 70.59 percent of the country recorded rainfall in the low category.

That dryness has raised the risk of forest and land fires, with hundreds of hotspots detected across Sumatra, Kalimantan, Papua and Maluku. Even so, localised heavy rain has still broken through: between October 1 and 4, BMKG recorded daily rainfall of 91 mm in North Sumatra, 69 mm in West Sumatra, 67 mm in Aceh and 54 mm in West Java. Atmospheric wave activity, wind convergence and relatively warm sea surface temperatures are expected to keep triggering moderate to heavy rain, lightning and gusty winds in some areas.

For the second ten-day period of October, BMKG expects low rainfall to continue dominating about 66.09 percent of Indonesia. The agency is urging the public to prepare for both heat and dry air during the dry season, recommending sunscreen and adequate fluid intake to avoid dehydration and fatigue during daytime outdoor activity.

Residents and local governments have also been asked to conserve water and stay vigilant against drought and land and forest fires. BMKG advised people not to burn rubbish or clear land by burning, particularly in fire-prone areas such as peatland, scrub and forest.