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Hotspot Watch 20 January 2022
Hotspot20 January 2022A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought. -
River flow forecasting
Research ProjectNIWA is developing a national river flow forecasting tool for New Zealand that aims to support and strengthen our planning for and response to extreme rainfall events. -
Hotspot Watch 13 January 2022
Hotspot13 January 2022A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought. -
New Zealand experiencing 5x more temperature extremes than expected
Feature story04 January 2022Stories of tremendous forest fires, huge storm events, and suffocating heatwaves have dominated headlines over the past few years. We instinctively feel that our weather is getting wilder. Are we finally living through those climate change warnings we’ve heeded for decades? -
Hotspot Watch 10 December 2021
Hotspot10 December 2021A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought. -
Hotspot Watch 26 November 2021
Hotspot26 November 2021A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought. -
Coastal flooding likely to be main driver for adaptation
Media release12 October 2021New NIWA-led research shows increasing flood risk is going to be what leads people to make changes to adapt to sea-level rise. -
Record warmth so far this winter
Media release05 August 2021New Zealand has just experienced its warmest June and July since records began in 1909 and – with one month to go - is on track for its second successive warmest winter on record. -
Know your snow
Feature story04 August 2021With the winter snowpack starting to build, who’s keeping an eye out on conditions in the mountains? -
The largest flood flow ever measured
Media release29 July 2021Flood flows on the Buller River this month were the largest of any river in Aotearoa New Zealand in almost 100 years, NIWA measurements show. -
NIWA calculates 1:200 year flood for parts of Canterbury
Media release14 June 2021Preliminary analysis by NIWA climate scientists has shown that the recent Canterbury rainfall was so extreme in some inland places that it could be expected to happen only once every 200 years. -
Field teams and forecasters cover monumental rainfall event
Feature story09 June 2021The prodigious rainmaker that hit Canterbury earlier this month saw NIWA field teams out in the elements collecting flood data from bridges, cableways and jetboat gaugings.