Its history began on 1841 with individual observation conducted by Dr. Onnen, the head of hospital in Bogor, and was established as a formal government institution on 1866 by the Dutch East Indies government by the name of Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory (Dutch: Magnetisch en Meteorologisch Observatorium).

[1] Since 1986 the BMKG, has run a Tropical Cyclone Warning Center (TCWC), within their headquarters in Jakarta.

In 1998, the World Meteorological Organization's RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee recommended that TCWC Perth, in Australia take over warning responsibility on an interim basis until the BMKG's staff had the training to run the TCWC.

[2] During the next two seasons TCWC Jakarta, monitored several tropical cyclones in the North Western Pacific Ocean and the Australian region.

At the start of the 2010–11 season, TCWC Jakarta's area of responsibility was then extended out to include the region from the Equator to 10°S between 125°E and 141°E.