Jakarta, March 9 -- Southeast Asia is set to see a warmer-than-usual early summer, potentially raising power demand and straining grids at a time when the Middle East conflict has tightened energy supplies in the region.

Across most of maritime and mainland Southeast Asia, home to more than half a billion people, temperatures will be above average for the March-May period, according to the latest seasonal outlook published by the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre.

The forecast comes as the conflict between the US - Israeli coalition and Iran upends transport and output across the Middle East, sending energy prices soaring. A prolonged disruption would threaten fossil-fuel reliant Southeast Asia's power generation into April and Ma...