On 1 July 2025, NIWA merged with GNS Science to become Earth Sciences New Zealand.

Fundamental Climate Observations

Get data, time series plots and maps for key climate indicators and present day context here.

Climate Mode Indices

Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) (Read me)

------- PLOTS: Monthly; Last 4 years; Daily; Last 3 months

------- DATA: Monthly; Last 4 years; Daily; Last 20 years (includes Tahiti and Darwin MSLP)

Coupled ENSO Index (CEI)  (Read me)

------- PLOTS: Monthly; from May 1950

------- DATA: Monthly (from May 1950)

Southern Annular Mode (SAM) (Read me)

------- PLOTS: Monthly; Last 4 years

------- DATA: Monthly (from January 1979) 

Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) (coming soon)

Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) (coming soon)

Zonal Wave 3 (ZW3) Index (coming soon)

South Pacific Blocking Index (coming soon)

Pacific South American mode (PSA) (coming soon)

Oceanic climate indices

NINO regions (Read me)

-------- PLOTS:

1-day anomalies ---> (NINO1+2) (NINO3) (NINO3.4) (NINO4)

7-day anomalies ---> (NINO1+2) (NINO3) (NINO3.4) (NINO4)

30-day anomalies ---> (NINO1+2) (NINO3) (NINO3.4) (NINO4)

Stack; anomalies all NINO regions ---> (1-day) (7-day) (30-day)

-------- DATA: Anomalies for NINO regions, last 4 years

1-day ---> (Nino1+2, NINO3, NINO3.4, NINO4, ONI)

7-day ---> (Nino1+2, NINO3, NINO3.4, NINO4, ONI)

30-day ---> (Nino1+2, NINO3, NINO3.4, NINO4, ONI)

Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) (Read me)

------- PLOTS: Anomalies for the IOD, west Indian Ocean basin, east Indian Ocean basin

1-day ---> Basin West East

7-day ---> Basin West East

30-day ---> Basin West East

composite figure (1-day, 7-day, 30-day; all 3 elements)

------- DATA: (1-day, 7-day, 30-day for west basin, east basin and IOD index)

South Pacific subtropical dipole (coming soon)

New Zealand marine environmental conditions

National sea surface temperature anomalies

------- PLOTS:  (1 day; 7 day; 30 days)

Marine heatwave conditions (consecutive intervals >90th percentile)

------- PLOTS: (1 day; 7 day; 30 day)

Regional sea surface temperature anomalies (read me)

------- PLOTS: 

1-day anomalies: NNI, WNI, ENI, NSI, WSI, ESI

7-day anomalies: NNI, WNI, ENI, NSI, WSI, ESI

30-day anomalies: NNI, WNI, ENI, NSI, WSI, ESI

------- DATA: 

All six regions (last 4 years)

(1-day, 7-day, 30-day)

Regional atmospheric circulation indices and daily weather classifications (updates coming soon)

New Zealand twice-daily synoptic weather types (Kidson, 2000)

------- PLOTS: New Zealand synoptic weather regime archetypes (Kidson 2000) 

New Zealand once-daily two-tiered weather regimes (Rampal, Lorrey, Fauchereau 2022)

SW Pacific weather regimes (Lorrey and Fauchereau 2018)

Ross Sea synoptic weather regimes (Cohen et al. 2013)

------- PLOTS: 6 Ross Sea once-daily synoptic weather regime patterns (archetypes)

Trenberth circulation indices (coming soon)

------- PLOTS: M1 M2 M3 MZ1 MZ2 MZ3 MZ4 Z1 Z2 Z3 Z4 Z5 ZN ZS

------- DATA: (All series except TPI) 

Terrestrial, atmosphere and cryosphere climate time series

New Zealand 7-station temperature series (Read me)

------- PLOTS: Monthly, Last 4 years

------- DATA: 7-Station Series sites from 1909

 NZ mean monthly temperature, brick format (years/row; months/column)

 NZ monthly mean minimum temperature

 NZ monthly mean maximum temperature

NZ monthly mean, max and min temperature anomalies (time series format)

NZ monthly mean, max, and min temperature anomalies (brick format)

------- DATA: Sites used in 7-Station Series

Monthly mean temperature: Auckland, Masterton, Wellington, Nelson, Lincoln, Hokitika, Dunedin

Monthly mean maximum temperature: Auckland, Masterton, Wellington, Nelson, Lincoln, Hokitika, Dunedin

Monthly mean minimum temperature: Auckland, Masterton, Wellington, Nelson, Lincoln, Hokitika, Dunedin

Monthly mean temperature anomalies (relative to 1991-2020): Auckland, Masterton, Wellington, Nelson, Lincoln, Hokitika, Dunedin

Monthly mean maximum temperature anomalies (relative to 1991-2020): Auckland, Masterton, Wellington, Nelson, Lincoln, Hokitika, Dunedin

Monthly mean minimum temperature anomalies (relative to 1991-2020): Auckland, Masterton, Wellington, Nelson, Lincoln, Hokitika, Dunedin

Baring Head CO2 record

------- PLOTS: Baring Head atmospheric CO2 record

Southern Alps end of summer snowline series  (Read me)

------- PLOTS: NZ-ELA (master record; current to 2020) ; Regional series

------- DATA: All time series (NZ-ELA series, regional series, individual index glacier ELAs and normalised series)

Homogenised Auckland daily rainfall (coming soon)

------- PLOTS: 

------- DATA: Central Auckland Rainfall (full series)

This page is contributed to and maintained by Climate Present and Past team members. Please email Andrew Lorrey ([email protected]) if you find any bugs or have any questions that cannot be answered using the read me files.