Rainy season brings heavy storms to Indonesia by Frances Runnalls
Flooding triggered by days of heavy rain has left more than 10 people dead across the south Indonesian island of Java. Flash floods hit the region on Friday and have been inundating thousands of homes over the weekend. Many regions in the country’s capital Jakarta remain underwater, with water levels in the Situbondo district in East Java reaching 3m (9.8 feet) in some places. During the monsoon season moist air masses come together, allowing the formation of intense thunderstorms and downpours.
Earlier in the month torrential rain and floods hit the region, killing 5 people while displacing over 100,000 residents. Landslides and flooding are common during the rainy or ‘monsoon’ season, which peaks between the months of December and February.
Although more rain is expected to hit the region over the next 24 hours, it looks like the country will experience a respite from the rain towards the end of the week. The focus of the heaviest monsoon is moving further south, where it looks set to lash northern Australia with some heavy rain over the coming days.
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