Climate & Weather

Seven weeks of lockdown has provided evidence of how pollution can vanish overnight with benefits for the environment and individuals, says NIWA air quality scientist Dr Ian Longley.

Please note that this will be the final Hotspot Watch update for this season. Weekly Hotspot Watches will return in the spring.

For more than a century, a network of volunteers across New Zealand have been measuring the climate and weather and sending their observations each month to be entered into the New Zealand climate database.

Analysis of drought conditions across New Zealand this year shows it is one of the most severe on record for some regions.

Minor to moderate soil moisture decreases across the entire North Island with severe meteorological drought in parts of northern Auckland, Coromandel and southern coast of Hawke's Bay. Drier than normal conditions are still present in the top of the South Island but significant rainfall in the west.

Moderate soil moisture increases in the western North Island and in the Far North, while soil moisture decreases were observed along the east coast and Wairarapa. Many parts of the South Island saw small soil moisture increases during the past week, although small decreases were observed in northern Canterbury.

A blob of smoke from the Australian bushfires is continuing to circle the globe almost four months after it formed.

High waves pounding Wellington’s south coast today are being caused by a deep area of low pressure passing the Chatham Islands, according to NIWA forecaster Ben Noll.

A little can mean a lot – especially when it comes to the relationship between sea level rise and coastal flooding.

The New Zealand Drought Index shows that severe meteorological drought remains across the Coromandel Peninsula and near Cape Reinga. Meteorological drought is found across parts of the Far North, Auckland, and far northern Waikato

In the North Island severe meteorological drought coverage has again receded significantly in the past week, although it is still widespread in the Coromandel Peninsula. Meteorological drought remains in place across parts of Northland, Auckland, northern Waikato, and East Cape. Meteorological drought has completely dissipated across the upper South Island, although widespread dry soils are still present.