Weather hazards

Common questions about storms and cyclones in New Zealand.

River floods occur when water spills from a river channel onto land that is normally dry, and are one of New Zealand's costliest natural hazards.

Maps of the average first and last dates of soil moisture deficit are shown here.

Some commonly-asked questions about tornadoes in New Zealand.

This weekly update helps assess likelihood of extremely dry weather preceding a drought. Regions experiencing severely to extremely drier than normal soil conditions are deemed “hotspots”

Understanding what happens above and below ground during a flooding event, and how it is different from normal rainfall conditions

The New Zealand Drought Monitor is a system for keeping track of drought conditions across New Zealand based on a standardised climate index.

Scientists will be knocking on doors in Edgecumbe next week seeking to survey the damage done to buildings from recent flooding caused when a stopbank on the Rangitaiki River breached.

A new tool to monitor drought conditions across New Zealand has been launched today by NIWA.

There was a common factor in the floods that hit swathes of New Zealand midway through this year – they were all forecastable.

Cyclone Pam’s furious flight path across the South Pacific in March this year illustrated the danger natural hazards pose to life, livelihoods and infrastructural development in the region.