Southern Indonesia Dryness Intensifying

Kansas City, July 13 (World Weather Inc.) – A large section of Indonesia outside northern and central Sumatra and pockets in northern Kalimantan were drier or even much drier than usual during the past month. The ground gradually firmed and many locations are too dry to support favorable rice, sugarcane, corn, and other short-rooted crop development. Precipitation will remain limited for Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, southern Sumatra, portions of Sulawesi and southern Kalimantan for at least another week and additional drying is expected. Moisture stress may impact production potentials if precipitation remains limited through the end of the month. Other areas in Indonesia will see a good mix of rain and sunshine. Short-term development conditions will remain relatively favorable outside the driest areas in Sulawesi.

New MJO Event Promises More Flooding In SE Asia

Kansas City, January 17 (World Weather Inc.) – Bouts of heavy rain have been plaguing parts of Malaysia and the Philippines for many weeks, though the past few days has brought lighter and more sporadic rain for some areas. Damage to crops and property has occurred multiple times because of the frequently recurring excessive rain events. A new Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) event is exiting Africa and moving over western parts of the Indian Ocean today and will spend the weekend and early part of next week over the Indian Ocean. The event will then shift to the east impacting most of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and possibly northern Australia next week and into the last week of this month. Flooding is expected once again.

Additional Severe Flooding In Portions Of Malaysia, Indonesia

Kansas City, December 5 (World Weather Inc.) – Torrents of persistent rain induced horrific flooding and landslides in portions of Malaysia and Indonesia the past two weeks and more was expected through mid-December. Damage to rice, sugarcane and corn was suspected, although the extent of the impact was still under investigation. Other crops have been impacted as well and there is concern for portions of the region as more heavy rain events occur through mid-month. Those areas not suffering from serious flooding have experienced a notable increase in soil moisture recently with a large part of the region excessively wet and vulnerable to flooding.

Southern Indonesia Rain To Return Soon

Kansas City, October 31 (World Weather Inc.) – Rainfall in Java, southern Sumatra and other areas in southern Indonesia was limited at times in recent months. Dryness became more pronounced in the past few weeks as seasonal rains were slow to develop. Rainfall in the past couple of weeks was further reduced by the suppressed convective phase of Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) in which rainfall is inhibited by a broad-based area of high pressure aloft. The lack of abundant rain was welcome for aggressive planting and general fieldwork. However, many areas were already a little too dry prior to this period and likely remained that way resulting in delays to planting and general crop development. The suppressed phase of MJO will shift far enough to the east in the Pacific Ocean over the next ten days to two weeks to allow frequent rainfall to return in southern Indonesia. Portions of Malaysia and northern Indonesia will also be impacted by increasing rainfall favoring improved planting and establishment conditions for some crops and accelerated crop development in other areas.