Climate & Weather

Ocean acidification is the name given to the lowering of pH of the oceans as a result of increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.

This helps planners, engineers, asset managers, and hazard analysts in urban councils understand and evaluate the potential impacts of climate change.

Annual Climate Summaries from 2000 to present.

There are several definitions of drought, depending upon whether it is viewed as a hazard or a risk.

Northern New Zealand
Kaitaia, Whangarei, Auckland, Tauranga
This is a sub-tropical climate zone, with warm humid summers and mild winters. Typical summer daytime maximum air temperatures range from 22°C to 26°C, but seldom exceed 30°C. Winter daytime maximum air temperatures range from 12°C to 17°C. Annual sunshine hours average about 2000 in many areas. Tauranga is much sunnier with at least 2200 hours. SW winds prevail for much of the year. Sea breezes often occur on warm summer days. Winter usually has more rain and is the most unsettled time of year.

The greenhouse effect is a warming of the earth's surface and lower atmosphere caused by substances which let the sun's energy through to the ground but impede the passage of energy from the earth back into space.

NIWA’s climate scientists can now confirm what you may have suspected. After carefully poring through more than a century’s worth of data, it has been officially determined that winter 2022 was Aotearoa New Zealand’s warmest and wettest on record.

Monthly climate summaries from December 2001 to the present.

These datasets are available in a range of formats.

Check out UV index forecasts for locations in New Zealand (including ski fields), Australia, the Pacific and Antarctica.