Tabanan, Bali experiences thick advection fog

A thick white fog enveloped several areas in the Tabanan Regency of Bali, including the Kediri Bypass, Gubug, and Yeh Gangga in the Kerambitan District, on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The phenomenon went viral on social media, leading to local speculation that the fog was smoke from forest and land fires (karhutla).

Aminudin Al Roniri, Head of the Bali Climatology Station of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), clarified that the occurrence is a natural weather phenomenon known as advection fog. He stated that satellite imagery shows smoke from Kalimantan moving west, northwest, and north, rather than toward Bali.

Advection fog forms when wind pushes warm, moist air from the sea or cold ground toward warmer regions, causing water vapor to condense near the surface. Unlike wildfire smoke, this fog is typically odorless, though it can make the air feel humid.