Yogyakarta, C. Java to get prolonged rainy season

YOGYAKARTA: A prolonged rainy season has been forecast this year for the neighboring provinces of Yogyakarta and Central Java, an official said Tuesday.

Agus Triyanto, a data and information official at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency's (BMKG) Yogyakarta office, said the beginning of May was meant to be the start of the dry season.

"However, due to the warmer seawater temperatures that create rain clouds, we still see frequent rains here these days," he said.

Agency records show that from May 1 to 10, the surface of the southern waters off Java Island were between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius, higher than normal temperatures of between 27 and 28 degrees Celsius.

Agus said observations had also revealed there was a convergence of winds from the south and from the northeast in a number of regions in the two provinces, which had increased the formation of storm clouds and allowed for high winds and thunderstorms.

He added that based on the data, the rainy season could possibly drag on for another 20 days. - JP