Rainy season will soon arrive in Bali, BMKG says

As the rainy season is forecast to hit Bali next month, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned some highland areas may fall victim to landslides and whirlwinds.

Wayan Suardana, the agency’s head in Denpasar, said on Friday that people needed to be alert to natural phenomenon that could occur during the transition period leading up to the rainy season.

“Generally, the island will experience a normal level of rainfall this year, but areas that are prone to floods, whirlwinds and landslides should be on alert.”

“During the transition period, whirlwinds may occur; this will be indicated by the appearance of cumulonimbus clouds. We have yet to identify which areas are most at risk, but whirlwinds usually occur in the highlands, including in some parts of Buleleng,” he told Bali Daily.

Floods and landslides could also occur in mountainous areas, such as in Kintamani, and along the route between Bedugul and Singaraja, he said, adding that conditions would be worse as there is less forest nowadays to offset the effects of the weather.

The rainy season will start between October and December, hitting different parts of the island at different times.

For the purposes of weather forecasting, Bali is divided into 15 zones. Seven of these zones are predicted to experience an early rainy season, starting in October. This will include most areas in the central and eastern parts of the island, as well as the southern parts of Jembrana and Tabanan.

In five other zones, the rainy season is predicted to start in November. This includes west and north Jembrana, north Buleleng and Bangli, Gianyar, Klungkung and south Karangasem, and Denpasar and south Badung.

The remaining three zones are expected to see a late start to the rainy season, in December, which will include north Bali and Nusa Penida islands. The peak of the wet season will occur between January and February, when the entire island will be affected by the tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean.

“The impact on Bali will include strong winds and rain,” Suardana said.

He called on residents to prepare for the rainy season, especially flood-prone areas. People who live in hilly and mountainous areas, as well as those passing through such areas, should also stay alert for landslides.

He said BMKG had coordinated with the provincial Disaster Management Coordination Board (BPBD) to map out areas at risk and to carry out the necessary anticipatory measures.

Jaya Serataberana from the BPBD’s center of operations said his office was currently updating its information on areas prone to disaster, ahead of the rainy season.

“We work together with our agencies in the nine regencies across Bali to map out areas at risk, and we’ll continue to monitor these areas and announce to the public whenever we receive a warning from BMKG, so that the public will be warned.”

Residents should also make the necessary preparations for the rainy season, for example by cleaning clogged sewers in their neighborhoods to prevent floods, he said, adding that his office had disseminated information to the public about evacuation protocols for whenever disaster occurs.