Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has issued an early warning for 25–26 August, forecasting moderate to very heavy rainfall, strong winds and storm surges across much of the archipelago as a tropical disturbance designated 90W intensifies in the South China Sea. The system is packing sustained winds of 45–50 knots with a central pressure of about 992 hPa and could strengthen into a tropical cyclone within 24 hours, BMKG forecaster Andika Hapsari said. Converging weather systems linked to the disturbance and a separate cyclonic circulation east of the Philippines are expected to trigger downpours from Sumatra and Java to Papua. BMKG has placed Maluku, Central and South Papua, and Central Sulawesi under its highest “Siaga/Awas” alert, while more than 20 other provinces remain at “Waspada” status. Coastal communities have been told to prepare for waves of 2.5–4 metres and potential tidal flooding, and residents in flood- and landslide-prone areas are urged to secure property and heed local disaster-management instructions.