Indonesia Braces for Delayed, Shorter Wet Season as El Niño Persists

Indonesia's wet season is expected to begin in early November and run shorter than usual this year, the country's weather agency said, as an El Niño pattern continues to influence conditions across the archipelago.

The agency had earlier projected the rains would arrive in October, the month the season typically starts. About 61% of Indonesia's land area will see the delayed onset, agency chief Teuku Faisal Fathani told a press conference.

Most parts of the country — including sections of Kalimantan and the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi — are expected to receive the seasonal rains from early November, Teuku said. The wet season is forecast to peak across most regions in December, with heavy rainfall still likely in January and February next year.

The El Niño weather pattern is estimated to last until the first quarter of 2027, according to the agency. Another official, Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan, said the phenomenon was still exerting a strong influence over much of Indonesia during September, though its drought impact would ease once the wet season sets in.

The prolonged dry spell has contributed to Indonesia's most intense wildfires in 11 years, with the "super El Niño" pattern driving up temperatures and causing droughts. Official figures show fires burned 202,000 hectares (499,153 acres) of land between January and July, while the environmental group YKAN estimates an additional 600,000 hectares were affected in August.

With the dry conditions expected to persist until the rains arrive, the weather agency advised the food sector to adjust planting schedules and select crop varieties with shorter growing cycles to cope with the extended dry season.