Even for the tropics, the heat in Jakarta and cities all around Indonesia have been near unbearable lately. According to officials, temperatures in the capital have easily exceeded 30 degrees Celsius over the past week, and we’re in for a pretty long spell of this scorching weather.
Amid the debilitating heat, one message, supposedly based on satellite data from NASA, has been going around WhatsApp group chats and social media platforms warning that the worst is yet to come in the coming days. The message urged for people to stay indoors and keep hydrated as temperatures in the likes of Jakarta and Depok has been recorded at close to 40 degrees Celsius while some cities, like Tangerang and Makassar, have exceeded the blazing mark.
In what may come as little assurance to some, Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has come forward to say that the message is a hoax.
Agar dipercaya kalau berita ini adalah berita hoax. pic.twitter.com/AlkFjSAWBV
— BMKG (@infoBMKG) October 23, 2019
“We have yet to record temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in Indonesia,” BMKG Climate Variability Analysis Department Head Indra Gustari told Kompas, but warned that temperatures have been unusually high enough that the public should take extra precautions for their well-being.
“The first cause [of the intense heat] is that we are still in dry season in most parts of Indonesia.”
Indra added that in October, the Earth’s northern hemisphere tilted away from the center of the solar system meaning that the Sun appeared to move directly above areas just south of the equator, bringing intense heat to Java, Bali, South Sulawesi, and more.
The agency predicts that high temperatures in these areas would last until at least the end of October.
Furthermore, BMKG warned of strong winds in the aforementioned areas during this period.
While this all sounds like a great combo for drying your clothes outside, we should also heed BMKG’s advice to keep hydrated and dress lightly to beat the heat. At any rate, Jakarta’s temperature was recorded at 34 degrees Celsius at the time of writing. We don’t know about you, but we’re choosing to stay indoors.
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