Unofficial community monitor · Jakarta, Indonesia
Anak Krakatau is erupting. Here's what to know today.
Official status: SIAGA (Level III) — one step below the highest level (Awas). This page tracks which way the wind is carrying ash, and what that means for your day in Jakarta.
An independent dashboard, not a government site. For evacuation orders and official warnings, always follow BNPB, PVMBG, and BMKG.
Arrows show which way surface wind is moving, from Open-Meteo public weather data. The coloured cone from Krakatau is a simplified direction estimate — not an official ash-path forecast. For that, see VAAC Darwin under Aviation below.
Today's summary
How Jakarta might be affected today
Right now
What to actually do today
No visible ash yet
- Bookmark this page; check morning and evening.
- Keep a mask and power bank in your bag.
Ash is visibly falling
- Head inside; mask up before going out.
- Drive slowly — roads get slippery.
Official warning / evacuation
- Follow BNPB / BPBD DKI Jakarta immediately.
- Check on elderly neighbours or anyone with mobility issues.
Air quality
Air quality index across Jakarta
Schematic map — zones are drawn for orientation, not exact borders. Values are a weather-model estimate (~11 km grid, not a per-district sensor); for real monitoring-station readings see udara.jakarta.go.id, the city government's own network.
- Wind direction (surface)
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- Wind speed
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- Bearing, Krakatau → Jakarta
- —
- Data source
- Open-Meteo (public weather service)
This is near-surface wind at the volcano's coordinates, not an official forecast of where ash will actually go. Treat it as a quick orientation.
| Altitude |
|---|
Each row is a different altitude above Krakatau — ash higher up can travel in a completely different direction than surface wind.
- NASA Worldview ↗True-colour satellite imagery, plus a layer that highlights ash plumes. Clearest in daylight.
- Zoom Earth ↗Continuously updated satellite loop, day and night.
- Windy — satellite layer ↗
Ash plumes usually look grey-brown, unlike ordinary white clouds — but that's not always easy to tell on a phone screen.
Airports close for volcanic ash because it can quietly damage jet engines, even under a clear-looking sky. Soekarno-Hatta (CGK) has already stopped operations twice this weekend.
- AirNav Indonesia ↗The official air-traffic authority. They issue ASHTAM — official notices when airspace is closed for volcanic ash.
- Flightradar24 ↗Track a specific flight's live status.
- VAAC Darwin ↗Australia's official agency for forecasting where ash clouds are headed, for aviation safety in this region — this is the official version of the wind estimate on this page.
Always confirm with your airline before heading to the airport.
- Wear a well-fitted N95/KN95 mask outdoors — cloth masks don't filter fine ash.
- Close windows and doors; turn off outdoor-air intake on AC units if you can.
- Asthma, lung, or heart condition? Stay inside and keep medication nearby.
- Remove contact lenses when ash is falling — ash under a lens can scratch the eye.
- Wet ash down before sweeping — dry sweeping stirs the most harmful particles back into the air.
- Don't hose ash into storm drains — wet ash is heavy and blocks drainage.
- Keep pets indoors and cover outdoor water containers.
See a doctor for persistent coughing, chest tightness, or breathing difficulty.
PVMBG (Indonesia's official volcano-monitoring agency) raises Anak Krakatau to Level III (Siaga) as eruptions increase, setting a 3 km exclusion zone around the crater.
Near-continuous small eruptions, tens per day; VAAC Darwin routinely advises ash plumes around 1,800–2,700 metres.
The strongest eruption sequence of the year: over 240 eruptions since Siaga status began. A major eruption sends ash an estimated 15 kilometres up.
Soekarno-Hatta (CGK) suspends operations overnight; over 200 flights affected. Ashfall reported in Lampung (Sumatra) and Banten (Java).
BNPB and PVMBG see no sign of imminent tsunami risk — the rebuilt cone since the December 2018 collapse is still assessed as too small for a repeat. Status remains Level III (Siaga).
Compiled from public reporting as of 6 Sep 2026 — may already be out of date; check the official sources below for the latest.
Four short briefings from public volcanology, meteorology, aviation and health knowledge — written without jargon. Not personal advice from a licensed professional.
- PVMBG grades Indonesian volcanoes I to IV: Normal, Waspada, Siaga, Awas. Krakatau is at III (Siaga) — one step before the highest level, based on ground shaking, shape changes, and direct observation.
- The December 2018 eruption caused part of the volcano to collapse into the sea and triggered a tsunami. The rebuilt cone is currently assessed as too small for a collapse that size — but that could change if it keeps growing.
- What actually matters to watch for: a jump to Level IV (Awas), or an official tsunami/evacuation warning — not the ash itself.
- Wind near the ground and wind high in the sky often blow in different directions. Ground-level wind decides local ashfall near the volcano; high-altitude wind carries fine ash much further, sometimes the opposite way.
- That's why both Lampung and Banten got ashfall — different altitude winds shifted direction at different times.
- Rain brings ash down faster and closer to the volcano — but turns it into heavy sludge, and can trigger ash mudflows (lahar) on the slopes.
- Volcanic ash is hard glass and rock fragments — it can sandblast a windscreen and melt inside a jet engine. Airlines treat it as an absolute hazard, not just reduced visibility.
- VAAC Darwin's specific job is forecasting where the ash cloud is headed and how high, for aviation safety.
- Expect more sudden flight suspensions at CGK while eruptions stay this intense, even on a clear-looking morning.
- Fine volcanic ash is similar to ordinary air pollution dust, just sharper-edged — it worsens the same breathing problems.
- Healthy adults are usually fine with basic precautions; children, older adults, and anyone with asthma or heart conditions face higher risk and should be more careful, sooner.
- A tightly-fitted N95/KN95 mask is the real threshold — loose or cloth masks don't filter the finest particles.