Tropical Cyclone 98S seeds have emerged in Arafuru waters, causing an alert in Kupang City, with potential heavy rainfall and strong winds.

The city of Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara has been put on alert status due to the emergence of Tropical Cyclone 98S seeds in the Arafuru waters. This could potentially result in moderate to heavy rainfall, lightning, and strong winds in the region. The Kupang city government has issued an early warning to all villages, sub-districts, and community units regarding the growth of TC 98S seeds.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Kupang has stated that the TC 98S seeds could cause strong winds with speeds of 20 knots or 37 km/h and air pressure of 1,004 millibars, and this condition is predicted to last until April 11, 2023. The TC 98S seeds can trigger hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, flash floods, landslides, lightning strikes, and strong winds that cause trees to fall.

The heads of all villages, sub-districts, and community units are expected to convey the BMKG’s early warnings to all communities in order to anticipate the risk of disasters early. The city residents are advised to cut down fragile trees before strong wind occurrences as such winds could cause trees to fall on homes or buildings, and to refrain from traveling during heavy rainfall to avoid unfavorable incidents.

Rainfall of moderate intensity, accompanied by wind and lightning, was recorded in Kupang City and Kupang District from 2:30–3:30 p.m. local time on Saturday. BMKG has also advised residents in East Nusa Tenggara to Papua regions to watch out for extreme weather potential due to the increasing intensity of TC 98S seeds around the Timor Sea.