VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Several Indonesian regions can potentially experience heavy rains accompanied by lightning and strong winds on Friday, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency's (BMKG's) early weather warning.

Quoted from BMKG's website on Friday, heavy rains along with lightning could potentially occur in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Bengkulu, Jambi, Riau, South Sumatra, and Lampung.

Similar conditions may also occur in Banten, West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara.

Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, North Maluku, and Maluku also have the potential to experience heavy rain.

Meanwhile, regions that may experience strong winds comprise West Kalimantan, West Sulawesi, and Papua.

Head of BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati urged people to be wary of extreme weather that can potentially cause hydrometeorological disasters as the end of the year draws near.

She highlighted that heavy rains, among others, can cause significant increase in river water discharge that can trigger floods.

Heavy rains can also cause landslide, rock fall, or soil erosion in highlands, hill slopes, and mountainous areas, she cautioned.

To this end, she urged regional governments and residents living along the river basin and hilly areas to raise their awareness and readiness in confronting potential natural disasters during the long period of heavy rains.

"I implore the public to be careful while doing activities outside the house. If there is no urgent need, it is best to stay at home to wait for the weather to return to normal," she remarked.

BMKG's meteorology deputy, Guswanto, explained that the extreme weather potential at the end of the year can be attributed to the atmospheric change phenomena around Indonesia. (antaranews)