Indonesia's Fire Season May Not Have Peaked as El Niño Strengthens

A strengthening El Niño — a Pacific warming pattern that disrupts global weather — is expected to peak in September. Fires burned nearly 94,000 hectares across Indonesia in July 2026 alone. Indonesia's weather agency expects El Niño to persist into early 2027. Experts warn the dry season runs through October, with rains unlikely before November, so the worst may still lie ahead.