Extreme Weather Conditions Occurring in Indonesia : Lapan

Jakarta - According to Indonesia's National Aviation and Space Board (LAPAN), people may experience extreme weather conditions until mid-January as Indonesia's skies continue to be covered by thick clouds. "The waters around Indonesia are pretty warm. The temperature of the waters is about two degrees higher than the average temperature. This means that there will be more evaporation. This will ultimately result in the formation of clouds," said the Deputy of Science, Assessment and Aerospace Information at LAPAN, Prof Dr Thomas Djamaluddin, here on Wednesday. This may result in heavy downpours and strong winds. According to LAPAN, floods and landslides may occur too. According to him, extreme weather conditions are evident in wind maps, which indicate that pressure in South Nusa Tenggara is approximately 998 millibars. The figure is lower than the average pressure of 1,013 millibars. Since South Nusa Tenggara is experiencing low pressure, the region may be prone to storms and cyclones. He said the current speed of wind is about 40 knots, approximately 80 kilometres per hour. "The Narelle storm that has hit South Nusa Tenggara will spread to Java too, before it weakens and disappears," he said. Since South Nusa Tenggara is a low pressure area, strong winds are likely to appear. Strong winds will then result in high tides, he said. He said high tides could be present in the waters around Nusa Tenggara, Java and Sulawesi Islands. The height of the tides could be between 2 and 6 meters. "Clouds around the storm will be dense. The clouds will move to the west, towards Java," he added. (*)