Extreme Weather And An Earthquake Hits Bali: Tourists Advised To Be Cautious

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The last 24-hours in Bali have felt like a whirlwind, literally! With an earthquake, serious winds, rain and localised flooding, roofs being blown off and even a 15ft python spotted on the beach.

It’s wild out there folks!

Tourists in Bali are being urged to stay safe as more intense weather is forecast. 

The Bali Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency has issued a yellow warning for extreme waves along the southern coast of Bali between 20th – 23rd March 2025.

The Badung Regency coastline, including the resorts of Canggu, Seminyak, Legian, Kuta, Jimbaran, and Uluwatu are all at risk of being hit with waves of up to 4m in height in the coming days. 

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Speaking to the media, Weather Forecaster for the Bali Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, Ariantika, called for the public, including tourists and tour operations, as well as those communities who head out on the ocean such a fishermen and surfers, to be extremely cautions.

The forecaster shared “We urge all shipping service users to continue to monitor weather information. BBMKG will also continue to monitor weather developments and provide the latest information if there is a significant change in conditions.”

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Rain and heavy winds have wrecked havoc over many parts of Bali over the last 24-hours. Footage from Canggu shows corrugated metal roofs being ripped apart by strong winds, as well as fallen trees and collapsed billboards. At Watu Klotok Temple in Klungkung Regency, close to Kermas Beach, heavy rain and intense winds saw three temple buildings collapse. 

The Head of Watu Klotok Temple, Jero Mangku I Ketut Suantika explained “At that time I was in Utama Mandala. When the building fell I didn’t really hear a sound like a rumble because of the loud sound of the rain and wind.”

The three buildings will need to be repaired, but temple restoration projects are never cheap. Police Chief, AKP I Wayan Budiarta, told reporters “The loss due to this incident is estimated to reach IDR 250 million.”

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In Gianyar Regency, closed to Ubud, Penataran Panti Pande Temple, also experienced notable damage as the Patamon Hall collapsed into itself.

The Tegallalang Police Chief, AKP Ketut Wiwin Wirahadi confirmed the situation to reporters stating “Thankfully there were no fatalities in this incident. However, the losses due to the collapse of Balai Patamon are estimated to reach Rp150 million. Currently, the cleaning of collapsed building materials is still pending due to the still rainy weather.”

The Head of the Bali Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, Cahyo Nugroho told reporters on Wednesday afternoon “Based on the analysis of atmospheric dynamics, this condition is caused by the active Equatorial Rossby Wave in the Bali region and the formation of a convergence pattern that triggers the growth of rain clouds.”

Adding “Cyclone seed 91S only affects the wave height in the southern waters of Bali.”

On Wednesday night at 9.17 pm Bali also experienced a 4.2 magnitude earthquake, the epicentre of which was located 8km from Tabanan. Nugroho issued formal updates regarding the earthquake to reporters on Thursday morning.

He shared “The epicenter is located at coordinates 8,59° LS; 115,07° BT, or more precisely located on land at a distance of 8 km west of Tabanan, Bali. At a depth of 146 km.”

He added “The impact of the earthquake based on community reports, in the form of tremors felt in the Denpasar, Kuta, Gianyar, Karangasem, Mataram and West Lombok areas. Until now, there has been no report of the impact of the damage caused by the earthquake.”

There have been no aftershock warnings and no tsunami warning has been issued. 

As Bali’s monsoon season comes to a close, tourists and the wider public on the island have been warned to prepare for unpredictable weather conditions. Though the dry season is just around the corner, as the season changes, weather patterns can be more volatile.

The Head of the Bali Climatology Station, Aminudin Al Roniri, told reporters last week “What needs to be watched out for in the transition season is the potential for extreme weather such as heavy rains that occur in a short and sudden time, which can be accompanied by strong winds and lightning.”