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Authorities warn ‘mudik’ travelers of extreme weather
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Traffic congestion is observed at Kilometer 150 of the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) toll road in Mekarjaya, West Java on April 5, 2024. Authorities forecast that the 2024 Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) season will peak between April 6 and 8. (Antara/Aprillio Akbar)
T
he nearly 200 million Indonesians expected to make the journey home for the Idul Fitri holiday face a heightened risk of extreme weather in their travels, authorities warned on Sunday, as the nation’s busy land and sea transportation routes accommodate what is expected to be a record-breaking mudik (exodus) season.
Outgoing Idul Fitri travel was expected to have peaked over the weekend amid an especially severe wet season that has seen flash flooding, landslides and other severe natural disasters.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) asked mudik travelers on Sunday to be vigilant for possible instances of extreme weather, such as thunderstorms across Central Java, a key corridor for Idul Fitri travel.
“Areas in Central Java that could potentially be hit by extreme weather on Monday include Cilacap, Boyolali, Pemalang and the surrounding regencies,” said Teguh Wardoyo, head of the BMKG’s technical team in Cilacap on Sunday, as quoted by Antara.
The heightened potential for extreme weather was a symptom of the pancaroba season, Teguh said, the transition from the wet to the dry season.
Flash floods and landslides have hit regions across Indonesia throughout the rainy season since the start of the year. The season is persisting in some parts of the country.
With the Idul Fitri holiday slated to fall on either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the sighting of the moon, the BMKG has warned mudik travelers to be wary of coastal flooding.
