Climate & Weather

Understanding our variable and changing climate is critical for managing resources and reducing risks.

Drought forecasting dashboard

NIWA and MPI are working together to develop a new drought forecasting tool. It uses innovative climate modelling, the latest in machine learning and other data-driven techniques to predict rainfall 35 days ahead. It will help farmers and growers better prepare for periods of dryness and drought.

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  • Link to source page

    New funding for Deep South National Science Challenge

    Media release
    30 June 2016
    The Deep South National Science Challenge today announced new funding for seven new scientific research projects to help New Zealanders better understand their future climate.
    Climate change

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    Dear diary: A pioneer of meteorology

    Feature story
    30 June 2016
    The discovery of diaries of an English missionary living in Northland in the 1800s reveals him as New Zealand’s first meteorologist.

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    Record-breaking mid-winter warmth

    News article
    23 June 2016
    NIWA Meteorologist Ben Noll takes a north-to-south look at the record-breaking warm temperatures experienced by Kiwis during the winter solstice.

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    New Zealand reaches climate change milestone

    News article
    07 June 2016
    An important scientific milestone was reached on a windswept point at the bottom of the North Island this week.

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    Tasman tempest may bring flooding rain, damaging wind Friday night and Saturday

    News article
    27 May 2016
    A potent storm strengthening over the Tasman Sea will move over New Zealand tonight and pummel the country with heavy, possibly flooding, rain and damaging wind gusts.

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    Adapting to climate change in Samoa

    Climate change

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    NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    18 April 2016
    Across the North Island, soil moisture levels have generally remained the same or decreased slightly when compared to this time last week.

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    NIWA's Hotspot Watch 1 April 2016

    Hotspot
    01 April 2016
    Across the North Island, soil moisture levels have generally remained the same or increased when compared to this time last week.

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    Carbonate analysis

    We use various types of carbonate - e.g. aragonite from coral, otoliths (fish ear bones), bivalves (sea shells), and speleothems (limestone cave calcite) - in paleoclimate research.

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    NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    29 March 2016
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing these soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.

  • Link to source page

    NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    18 March 2016
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing these soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.

  • Link to source page

    NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    11 March 2016
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.