Category Archives: Start of Dry Season

Start of dry season for the southern ASEAN region

The Southwest Monsoon onset in the region in early June 2016. Over the past few days, the region including Sumatra and Kalimantan have been experiencing dry weather conditions, signaling the start of the traditional dry season in the southern ASEAN region. Hotspot counts in Sumatra and Kalimantan have remained low in the last few weeks, but are expected to increase as the dry season progresses. On 28 and 29 June 2016, ASMC’s monitoring has detected 3 and 9 hotspots respectively in central Sumatra.

The prevailing Southwest Monsoon is expected to strengthen and persist over the next few months. During this period, extended periods of drier weather can be expected, which could lead to elevated hotspot activities in fire-prone areas.

The traditional dry season in the northern ASEAN region has started

In the past week, ASMC monitoring has detected an increase in hotspot activities in the Mekong sub-region, mainly in Thailand and Cambodia. The prevailing Northeast Monsoon conditions are expected to strengthen and persist for the next few months, bringing drier weather conditions to the northern ASEAN region. An increase in hotspot activities can be expected particularly during persistent dry periods.