September 10, 2025 | 08:48 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Major floods struck Bali after extreme downpours on late Tuesday, which persisted overnight into Wednesday, September 10, 2025. Photo and video footage of what is described as the "worst ever" disaster on the tourist island went viral on social media.
According to the Bali Regional Police, at least five people have died due to the floods. Rescuers on Wednesday evening are still searching for six people who remain missing.
The magnitude of the disaster is also evident from Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) data, which reported that the rainfall on Tuesday night reached 385.5 mm, twice the lower limit for extreme rainfall (150 mm per day). The figures were reported by the Bali Climatology Station located in Jembrana.
Meanwhile, researcher at the Climate and Atmospheric Research Center of BRIN, Erma Yulihastin, revealed that rainfall reached 216 mm on Tuesday and over 150 mm today, based on a measuring device installed in Sanur, Denpasar.
BMKG Weekly Weather Outlook for Bali
BMKG noted in its last weekly outlook on Monday that Bali was among the regions that must remain on high alert for September 9-11, 2025. Early warnings were issued for possible torrential downpours with thunderstorms and strong winds.
Bali joined several other regions, such as Aceh, North Sumatra, Bangka Belitung Islands, Bengkulu, Lampung, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, West Kalimantan, and West Sulawesi. Specifically, BMKG also wrote, "Entering the second week of September, a surge in rainfall could be occurring in parts of Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara."
What Caused the Extreme Weather?
The weather agency explained several factors behind the extreme weather in Bali and other regions. This ranges from the negative Dipole Mode Index (DMI) phase (-1.28) which tends to increase the water vapor content in Indonesia, to strong local instability conditions that support convective processes on a local scale.
Meanwhile, BMKG forecaster at the regional office III in Denpasar, Putu Agus Dedy Permana, explained that the extreme rainfall in Bali is influenced by
the activity of equatorial Rossby waves, which affects the growth of convective clouds. This factor, in addition to Bali's humidity conditions ranging from 80-100 percent, is high from the lower layer to a height of 200 mb or 12 kilometers.
"These conditions support the formation of convective clouds with high cloud tops, leading to heavy rain accompanied by lightning," he explained.
Additionally, BRIN researcher Erma said the convective clouds are formed in the Bali Strait and in the waters south of Bali, driven by the Australian Monsoon. "So Bali is surrounded by two sources of convective clouds," she said through her social media account on Wednesday afternoon.
Rainy Weather to Last All Week
BMKG forecaster Putu Agus said the rain in Bali distributes evenly in the highlands and lowlands of the island. The intensity also varies in different locations, from a drizzle to torrential downpours.
"The rain is likely to continue over the next week," he said when contacted on Wednesday night. He added, "Today the intensity of the rain is moderate. Tomorrow until the next week, there are chances for light rain."
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