Zacharias Wuragil, Jakarta – Two regions in Indonesia in the first seven days of May recorded the highest air temperatures that measuring up to 36.1 degrees celsius, which the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) says explains the searing heat felt by a number of people the past few days. The regions in question are Tangerang, Banten on the Java Island, and Kalimarau located in the North Kalimantan province.

However, BMKG stated that the temperature levels had not exceeded the highest in Indonesia in April for the past 4-5 years which recorded 38.8 degrees celsius.

The agency concluded that the heat people felt during the day is mainly caused by the pseudo motion of the sun, which they stated through its Twitter account @InfoHumasBMKG on Sunday evening, May 8, "It is currently located in the north equator area indicating that parts of Indonesia will start to enter draught season."

However, the agency is quick to clarify that the situation the country is experiencing is not what most might consider a heatwave as it had not lasted for five straight days and not logged temperatures 5 degrees higher than average, which is what the World Meteorological Organization defines as a heatwave.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1589767/36-1-degrees-heat-recorded-in-2-indonesian-regions-bmkg-announce