Climate

The climate of Indonesia is almost everywhere equatorial, which means it is hot humid and rainy all year round. In some areas there is a dry season, more or less pronounced, which will therefore be the one to be preferred, while in other areas it will be difficult to find a time of the year that is clearly the least rainy.

As generally happens in hot countries, the rains come in the form of downpours or thunderstorms, which in the rainiest months and when they are most intense can make the roads muddy and make travel difficult.

There are also mountains and volcanoes, often very high where the temperature naturally decreases as the altitude increases. Since Indonesia is near the equator, the day lasts 12 hours all year round, and sunset comes quite early.

The equatorial sun is very strong and can be dangerous even with cloudy skies, especially in the mountains. Given that the temperature is stable all year round (with minimums around 22/25 degrees and maximums around 30/32 degrees all year round) the most important aspect to determine the climate of Indonesia and its seasons are precipitation which is due in addition to the location in a hot and humid area also to the monsoon regime and the impact they have on the different areas.

Generally between December and March northern winds predominate, while between June and September southern winds predominate; these winds have a different impact depending on the presence of mountains and the exposure of the slopes. Indonesia’s climate, being at the equator is in the path of tropical cyclones and is then influenced by the phenomenon called El Niño, which in some years brings drought and an increase in temperature, both in the air and at the sea surface, a phenomenon that can produce coral bleaching.

The drought is felt between June and August, but even more so between September and November and can make the fires that are normally set during the dry season uncontrollable, and cause smoke to spread across large areas. The opposite phenomenon, La Niña, brings rainier than usual weather, and also cooler than usual between June and August.