Victoria storm near Melbourne, Australia. (ABCNews.au/Luci Trotter )

“The waves in East Java`s southern waters reached 2 to 2.5 meters high. Meanwhile their height in the northern waters reached at 0.5 to 1.3 meters. It means the situation is still conducive and the storm has not yet affected maritime conditions,” said Information and Data Staff of the Tanjung Perak BMKG service, Eko Prasetyo, here on Thursday.

The Victoria storm is located 15 degrees south latitude, 105 degrees east longitude, south of Sumatra Island and west of Australia.

According to Eko, the storm has not affected weather conditions in Indonesia.

“The storm is not the cause of the current extreme weather in Indonesia. The current condition is rather the effect of a weather transitional period,” Eko said.

He predicted that E Java would be in the weather transitional period from April to May 2013 while the dry season will occur in June. He predicted that the coastal area of E Java will enter the dry season earlier than the inland region.

“The weather changes quickly when the region enters the weather transition period; from sunny to cloudy and then rainy conditions. Besides, the wind can also change directions easily as it has happened recently,” he said.

Regarding recent flooding in several areas in E Java such as Bojonegoro, Sampang, Gresik, and Lamongan Eko said rain may still happen during the transitional period although the intensity is low.

The rain precipitation in E Java in recent days is still below 60 millimeters, he said.

“However, if environment conditions are not good well the rain could cause flooding. That`s why the drainage system should be maintained,” Eko said.

Source: Antara News | Author: Priyambodo RH

“By mid-June, the dry season will have come to all areas of Bali,” head of BMKG’s climatology station in Jembrana, Wakodim, said Thursday.

Shiny Bali. Photo: Iuri Borba/IndoSurfLife.com

He explained that Bali was divided into 15 climate zones. Two zones had been experiencing the dry season since last month, sooner than the other regions. These zones include some parts of Gianyar regency, all of Klungkung regency and Nusa Penida.

“Eight zones will start the dry season this month, including the majority of Buleleng and Jembrana, north and east Karangasem, south Tabanan, northeast Bangli, and parts of Badung,” he said.

Areas that will have to wait for the dry season until between May and June, are southeast Buleleng, parts of Badung, west Bangli, north Tabanan, and north Gianyar. These areas include Petang, Pelaga, Besakih, Sidemen, Singaraja, Gitgit and Wanagiri.

According to BMKG’s forecast, most areas in Bali would see the dry season start at the normal time, without any unusually early or delayed starts compared to averages during the period 1981 to 2010.

Wakodim explained that the average temperature would range from 30 to 32 degrees Celcius.

Wakodim said the public should not be worried about the weather during the dry season because there had not been any signs of abnormality, such as indications of unusually hot weather or severe drought.

Read more, here.

Source: The Jakarta Post | Author: Desy Nurhayati

Karangasem, Badung, Tabanan, Bangli and Gianyar all saw a number of incidents caused by the bad weather, including damage to houses and public facilities following floods and landslides.

Cyclone Rusty. Pic: ABC.net

The road connecting Karangasem and Buleleng was severed after its foundations caved in during a major landslide. The landslide affected part of the road that passed Munti Gunung village in Kubu district. A local resident, Gede Antara reported that the road had collapsed along a 15-meter stretch to a depth of 4 meters. Fortunately, the incident did not claim any casualties.

In Lemukih and Tejakula district in Buleleng, floods damaged a temple, dam and houses.

Meanwhile, the operators of Padangbai and Gilimanuk seaports have halted ferry crossings due to rough seas. Other cross-sea ferry routes to and from Bali were also closed temporarily, including to Nusa Penida and to the Gili islands.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) stated that the turbulent weather was due to a nearby tropical cyclone that would recede on Tuesday. However, the agency warned that high waves would still be likely in the seas to the north and south of Bali.

The cyclone triggered strong wind at 25 to 40 km per hour velocity. Pic: pindanpost.com

I Nyoman Wiryajaya, head of BMKG data and information division, said that the wind speeds had reached 43 kilometers per hour (kph) to the north and the waves up to 5 meters high.

“We predict that tropical cyclone Rusty will be heading to the mainland and recede. High waves will continue to occur with a possibility of rain, coupled with strong winds and thunder,” he said.

Two residents had reportedly drowned in the seas off Mertasari Beach, Sanur, on Saturday. One of them, Made Ada, was found alive Sunday in waters off Serangan. He is currently still undergoing medical treatment in Sanglah Hospital.

The other man, Ketut Temontiasa, has not yet been found. Search and rescue efforts were being hampered by rough seas.

Continue reading, here.

Source: The Jakarta Post | Author: Luh De Suriyani

Morotai Island. Image: pulaumorotaikab.go.id

“Other islands, such as Sula Island, and the coastal waters of Northern Halmahera are also likely to see such waves,” Ternate BMKG officer Muhammad Rivan said.

The height of waves in the waters off Morotai and Sula districts reached 2.5 meters recently.

Waves of such height can be dangerous for fishing boats and small passenger vessels, particularly if the sea currents are accompanied by strong winds.

North Maluku residents have been urged to remain on the alert for the next few days because wind speeds could reach up to 30 kilometers per hour during the period.

BMKG called on all people living in flood-prone areas to watch out for heavy rainfall, as recent downpours had led to floods in various areas of North Maluku.

Source: The Jakarta Post | Antara

Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the earthquake was centered beneath the Indian Ocean, but has no potential to trigger tsunami.

The quake’s epicentre was at 35 kilometres depth, about 84 kilometres southwest of Denpasar city or 980 kilometres southeast of the capital Jakarta.

Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

Photo/illustration: Susan Caplan

Nyoman Suarsa from the BMKG said that the strong winds usually occurred during particularly hot weather.

The winds are now easterly in parts of Bali causing hot weather in Denpasar and surrounding areas.

Wind speeds were reaching 20 knots, or 30 kilometers, per hour, he said.

Last weekend, strong winds hit several villages in Buleleng regency in north Bali.

The rainy season is forecast to start soon, probably in the second or third week of October in Denpasar, Tabanan and Gianyar.

In this March 11, 2011 file photo, a tsunami floods over the breakwater protecting the coastal city of Miyako at Heigawa estuary area after northeastern Japan was hit by a powerful earthquake.

• Australian geology and emergency services have simulated “worst case” Tsunami scenarios.
• Simulations show 9.0 earthquake in Indonesia could devastate Christmas Island and parts of northern WA
• A 9.0 earthquake in New Zealand could send powerful waves into Sydney and Brisbane
• Overall risk is low, as Australia is far from tectonic plates and waves will distribute their force over a wide area.

Following the catastrophic 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and last year’s devastating Christchurch earthquake, the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre operated by the Bureau of Meterology and Geoscience Australia have simulated two wave-triggering earthquakes in training exercises.

The ”worst case” scenarios were of a tsunami triggered by an Indonesian 9.0 earthquake – which sent 5-10 metre waves into Christmas Island – while powerful waves also hit the populated coast between Sydney and Brisbane from a simulated New Zealand quake.

The data showed the tsunamis would take five hours to reach the mainland from either earthquake.

Centre Director Chris Ryan said because Australia is in the middle of a tectonic plate, far away from the active edges, the energy released by the tsunamis would be distributed over a wider front by the time it reaches the coast.

”For Australia’s coasts we only need to worry about the higher magnitude events because of our distance from the source, and then only some of the possible earthquake sources are close enough, or oriented in the right direction, to send a severe tsunami towards Australia” he said.

”In a sentence, the exercise scenarios are not likely, but they could happen tomorrow.”

The long-term average of an earthquake the size of those modelled in the simulation is once every 30 years but there are signs their frequency is increasing.

Geoscience figures show there has been three 9.0 earthquakes in the past eight years.

The destructive potential of the tsunamis would be the power behind them, which could drive the sea into coastal cities.

See the simulation showing how fast a tsunami can travel, below…

Read more, here.

Source: News.com.au | Author: Ken McGregor/News Limited Network

Ilustration © BMKG

Ciomas subdistrict military commander Capt. Asep Komarudin was quoted by Antara news agency as saying that at least 670 houses were damaged in six villages across two subdistricts of Bogor.

He said that hardest hit were the villages of Sukamakmur and Sukaraja in Ciomas, with a total of 427 houses damaged.

“Thank God there were no casualties in this disaster. But dozens of pupils of the Ciomas No. 8 state primary school have been forced to learn at the Sukamakmur village hall because their school was heavily damaged and is not longer fit for use,” Asep said.

Sukamakmur village chief Sri Widyarti said that of the 427 houses damaged, “at least 67 units were so severely damaged that dozens of families have been forced to seek shelter with neighbors and relatives.”

Another 243 houses were damaged in the villages of Sukamantri, Sukaluyu, Sukajaya and Sukaresmi in the neighboring subdistrict of Tamansari, but mostly lightly, Asep said.

Read more.

Source: The Jakarta Globe

Ilustration © BMKG

Hendra Suwarta, head of the data and information division, said the BMKG predicted that temperatures would hover around 34 degrees Celsius, adding that such conditions might trigger forest fires.

The heat, he continued, was not normal as common temperatures in the region were usually around 32 degrees.

“People also need to be more aware about possible strong winds and high waves,” Hendra said on Wednesday.

He added that winds reaching 30 knots could hit some areas, including Deli Serdang, Langkat and Medan, while waves may reach heights of 3 meters off the west coast.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Gilimanuk Port, West Bali.

Head of the Gilimanuk Water Police Made Prihenjagat confirmed the news that the closure had been decided by Ketapang Port. “As Ketapang Port is closed, automatically the same will happen at Gilimanuk Port,” he said as reported by Antara news agency.

As usual, the closure saw long lines of vehicles extending out of Gilimanuk Port. When contacted, Rahmat, an official with the Jembrana office of the Meteorological and Climatology Agency, confirmed there were strong winds. “When the winds are strong, automatically the waves become very high. We observed that the strong winds started yesterday afternoon,” he said.

Source: The Jakarta Post