Climate & Weather

Eastern North Island
Gisborne, Napier, Masterton
Sheltered by high country to the west, this zone enjoys a dry, sunny climate. Warm dry settled weather predominates in summer. Frosts may occur in winter. Typical summer daytime maximum air temperatures range from 20°C to 28°C, occasionally rising above 30°C. High temperatures are frequent in summer, which may be accompanied by strong dry foehn winds from the northwest. Extreme temperatures as high as 39°C have been recorded. Winter is mild in the north of this region and cooler in the south.

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.

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

Sea surface temperatures in the southern Tasman Sea rose to exceptionally high levels in late 2017 and early 2018. These temperatures were far above any others previously observed at that time of year in the region, and extended west from New Zealand to Tasmania and mainland southeast Australia.

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.

At the age of seven, NIWA’s youngest climate scientist, Nava Fedaeff, swapped sub-arctic Siberia for balmy Auckland – and her first job was to learn to swim.

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 High Intensity Rainfall Design System (HIRDS) offers planners and engineers more certainty about the frequency of high-intensity rainfall events, enabling them to better design stormwater drainage, flood defence systems and other vital structures.

The main characteristic of the Marlborough climate is its dryness. Summer droughts are frequent, and the region is often swept by warm, dry northwesterlies.

These datasets are available in a range of formats.