February 17, 2026 | 04:09 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has issued an early warning of high waves that are potentially occurring in several Indonesian waters from February 17 to 20, 2026.
BMKG forecaster, Fitri Anggraeni, stated that the wind patterns in the northern part of Indonesia generally move from the northwest to the northeast with wind speeds ranging from 8-30 knots, while in the southern part of Indonesia, the wind moves from the west to the northwest with wind speeds of 8-30 knots.
"The highest wind speeds were observed in the northern part of the Malacca Strait, the western Indian Ocean off West Sumatra to the south of East Nusa Tenggara, the northern Natuna Sea, the Sulawesi Sea, the northern Pacific Ocean off northern Maluku to southwest Papua," said Fitri in a written statement on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
These conditions could lead to waves reaching 1.25-2.5 meters occurring in the northern part of the Malacca Strait, the western Indian Ocean off Nias Island, the western Indian Ocean off Bengkulu, the northern part of the Karimata Strait, the western part of the Java Sea, the southern part of the Makassar Strait, the western and eastern parts of the Sulawesi Sea, the northern Pacific Ocean off West Papua, and the western part of the Arafura Sea.
Similar waves could occur in the eastern part of the Arafura Sea, the western Indian Ocean off Aceh, the Mentawai Islands, the northern Natuna Sea, the southern part of the Karimata Strait, the central part of the Makassar Strait, the Flores Sea, the central part of the Sulawesi Sea, the northern and southern parts of southwest Papua, the northern part of Papua, and the central part of the Arafura Sea.
Meanwhile, waves reaching 2.5-4.0 meters could occur in the western Indian Ocean off Lampung, the southern Indian Ocean off West Java, Yogyakarta, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, the northern Pacific Ocean off Maluku, and the southern Indian Ocean off Banten, Central Java, East Java, and West Nusa Tenggara, as well as the Maluku Sea.
"The potential of high waves in several areas could pose risks to maritime safety," she said.
Therefore, she urged the public to always be vigilant, especially for fishermen using transportation modes such as fishing boats, to be wary of wind speeds exceeding 15 knots and wave heights above 1.25 meters.
She also urged barge ships to avoid wind speeds exceeding 16 knots and wave heights above 1.5 meters. For ferry ships, she warned to be cautious of wind speeds exceeding 21 knots and wave heights above 2.5 meters.
"We ask the public living and working in coastal areas where high waves are likely to occur to always remain vigilant," she said.
Read: Heavy Rain Expected Across Indonesia Amid Chinese New Year, Early Ramadan
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
BMKG Warns of 4-Meter Waves in Eastern Indonesian Waters
6 hari lalu
The potential for high waves in certain areas may endanger shipping safety.
BMKG: Three Tropical Cyclone Seeds Trigger High Waves in Indonesian Waters
13 hari lalu
BMKG has issued an early warning for extreme high waves in parts of Indonesian waters.
BMKG Warns of Up to 4-Meter Waves in Eastern Indonesian Waters
14 hari lalu
The potential of high waves in several regions could pose risks to maritime safety.
BMKG Warns of 6-Meter-High Waves in Southern East Nusa Tenggara
25 hari lalu
Tropical Cyclone Nokaen and Tropical Cyclone 97S trigger high waves and wind in Indonesian Waters.
BMKG: Beware of 6-Meter Extreme High Waves off Java Coasts
26 hari lalu
BMKG detects high waves triggered by the activities of Tropical Cyclones Nokaen and Tropical Cyclone 97S in the next three days.
BMKG Warns of 6-Meter Waves in Indonesian Waters Due to Cyclone Jenna
41 hari lalu
Cyclones Jenna and Seed 90W have triggered stronger winds and high waves.
BMKG Warns of High Waves in Indonesian Waters Due to Cyclone Jenna
41 hari lalu
The influence of tropical cyclone Jenna has resulted in the highest wind speed observed in the North Natuna Sea and the Indian Ocean west of Bengkulu to Lampung.
BMKG: No Increased Rainfall as Cyclone Seed 93S Moves Away from Indonesia
56 hari lalu
Indonesian weather is finally free from the influence of cyclone seed 93S. But the drifting storm is expected to strengthen as it moves away.
BMKG Details Impact of Cyclone Seed 91S on Sumatra Weather
11 Desember 2025
Head of BMKG Teuku Faisal Fathani urges the public to remain calm but vigilant.
Extreme Weather Brews as Two Tropical Cyclones Surround Indonesia
26 November 2025
BMKG detected two tropical cyclones affecting the weather in Indonesia, namely Tropical Cyclone Koto and Tropical Cyclone Senyar.
