Maria Fransisca Lahur, Jakarta – The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported the highest daily temperature in Indonesia from 7 a.m. on October 16 to 7 a.m. on October 17, 2023.

The hottest area was detected in the BMKG Region II, with a temperature reaching 39.4 degrees Celsius. The area included Ciputat Timur, South Tangerang, and Banten.

Besides, the air temperature in Kertajati Meteorological Station was recorded at 39 degrees Celsius, Mutiara Sis Al-Jufri Meteorological Station at 38 degrees Celsius, as well as Banten Climatology Station, and South Sulawesi Climatology Station at 37.9 degrees Celsius.

Didi Satiadi, a researcher at the Climate and Atmosphere Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), revealed various factors causing the high heat in the South Tangerang area.

"The main factor is the heating of the surface and the air above it due to solar radiation, which peaks at noon around 2 p.m. local time," Didi explained via a text message on Wednesday, October 18.

Moreover, the apparent position of the sun is currently at a latitude that coincides with the position around Java Island. Plus, the sun's position is directly over Java Island, maximizing sunlight.

Another factor is the dry air and minimal cloud cover, which allows most of the sun's energy to reach the earth's surface unimpeded. Not to mention that Indonesia, especially its southern part, is now experiencing a drier-than-usual dry season due to the El-Nino phenomenon occurring simultaneously with the positive IOD phenomenon.

"When these two phenomena occur together, clouds tend to be attracted to the eastern Pacific Ocean and the western Indian Ocean, so that the Indonesian maritime continent tends to be dry," the BRIN researcher said.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1785484/south-tangerang-temperature-hits-39-4-degrees-celcius-bmkg-report