Recently, a hailstorm occurred in several regions of Indonesia, drawing public attention due to its rarity.
Just a few days ago, on Tuesday (Mar. 13), hail the size of small pebbles fell in the area around the UGM campus. A similar phenomenon, accompanied by a whirlwind, occurred in Tasikmalaya on Thursday (Mar. 14).
Nalya Naomi Tarigan, a UGM Faculty of Law (FH UGM) student, witnessed the hailstorm at the UGM campus on Tuesday (Mar. 13).
She was capturing the rain around the UGM Central Office when she noticed some reflections in the video on her phone.
“I was recording the rain at UGM. But when I looked at the video, I saw something bouncing, and after checking again, it turned out to be chunks of ice,” said Tarigan, admitting that this was her first time experiencing a hailstorm during her studies at UGM.
Dr. Emilya Nurjani, a lecturer at UGM’s Faculty of Geography, explained that hailstorms occur due to the intensive growth of Cumulonimbus clouds, supported by a significant amount of water vapor.
At the time of the incident, the air temperature around the area was low enough for ice crystals in the upper part of the Cumulonimbus cloud to reach the surface while remaining as ice crystals, commonly called hail, albeit in smaller sizes.
According to Dr. Nurjani, hailstorms are considered extreme weather events when the hailstones are large, measuring between 5 and 50 mm in diameter.
“This event has been recorded in several cities in Indonesia, including Yogyakarta, a few years ago,” she noted on Friday (Mar. 14).
She explained that hailstorms do not follow a specific pattern. However, the growth of Cumulonimbus clouds can be observed due to unstable air masses and convection processes supported by a high water supply.
“Cumulonimbus cloud formation often occurs in archipelagic and urban areas near hot environmental sources,” she added.
To address the potential for extreme weather, which has been occurring more frequently, Dr. Nurjani stated that the public needs to engage in mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Mitigation can take the form of raising collective awareness about the importance of keeping global temperatures from rising.
“Simple actions like planting trees or preserving forests and other natural land uses can help,” she explained.
Additionally, she emphasized the importance of the community being prepared to live in harmony with nature, as extreme weather often leads to disasters.
“The government prepares mitigation efforts and conducts public outreach. Meanwhile, the public takes action and adapts to prevent and respond to disasters caused by extreme weather,” Dr. Nurjani concluded.
Author: Jelita Agustine
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson