Wind

Latest news

El Niño: NIWA explains

28 June 2023
El Niño is on its way, with whispers it could cause the Earth’s warmest ever year. But what is it? NIWA scientists tell all.

NIWA's Historic Weather Events website

Media Release
10 March 2023
Our official statement in response to Ian Wishart's report about NIWA's Historic Weather Events Catalogue website.

NIWA takes shot at golf course ratings

Media Release
6 July 2021
A NIWA climate scientist has combined work and a sporting interest to benefit golfers throughout New Zealand.

Scientists examine high winds on Auckland Harbour Bridge

Media Release
27 April 2021
When high winds on the Auckland Harbour Bridge last September caused two trucks to topple over, one into a load-bearing strut, NIWA scientists began thinking about what role they could play in preventing it from happening again.
 

El Niño: NIWA explains

28 June 2023
El Niño is on its way, with whispers it could cause the Earth’s warmest ever year. But what is it? NIWA scientists tell all.

NIWA's Historic Weather Events website

Media Release
10 March 2023
Our official statement in response to Ian Wishart's report about NIWA's Historic Weather Events Catalogue website.

NIWA takes shot at golf course ratings

Media Release
6 July 2021
A NIWA climate scientist has combined work and a sporting interest to benefit golfers throughout New Zealand.

Scientists examine high winds on Auckland Harbour Bridge

Media Release
27 April 2021
When high winds on the Auckland Harbour Bridge last September caused two trucks to topple over, one into a load-bearing strut, NIWA scientists began thinking about what role they could play in preventing it from happening again.

Rangi: weather and climate glossary

Were there any terms you didn't know in any of these lessons? We explain some of them here - alphabetically from anemometer to wind speed.

Lesson 1: An introduction to weather and meteorology

Is today sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, or stormy? All of those things are part of the weather...

Rangi - weather and climate lessons for teachers

Developed for teachers, these lessons offer intermediate age students an engaging and interactive way to learn about Aotearoa’s wild and mild weather and climate patterns.

Ten years of the weather with you

Feature story
30 December 2019
In the past 10 years, more weather records have been broken than in any other time in New Zealand’s history.

Planning an ocean observation network

Media Release
3 October 2019
New Zealand’s changing ocean environment has prompted the call to develop a system that will keep closer tabs on information from scientific monitoring buoys so the data they produce can be shared as widely as possible.

Climate Summary for August 2019

Variable temperature and rainfall patterns with frequent southwesterly winds.

Rare weather phenomenon possible

Media Release
22 August 2019
NIWA meteorologists are keeping an eye on an unusual atmospheric phenomenon that is amassing in the polar stratosphere.
NIWA 2017 Annual Climate Summary

2017 Annual Climate Summary 9 January 2018

NIWA 2017 Annual Climate Summary

2017 Annual Climate Summary 8 January 2018

Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone Outlook - October 2017

Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone Outlook: Near-normal season expected, but with increased activity west, reduced activity east.

Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone Outlook update October 2017

Media Release
10 October 2017
Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone Outlook: Near-normal season expected, but with increased activity west, reduced activity east

So far, so stormy

Media Release
13 July 2017
Today’s low came spinning off the coast of Hawke’s Bay funneling strong winds through the Cook Strait and hitting Wellington region with strong winds before moving on to Taranaki and Auckland this afternoon.

Generating synthetic wind data

NIWA has recently created synthetic, multi-year, 10-minute wind datasets at 15 wind farm sites across New Zealand. These will be used by the Electricity Commission to model the impact of wind farms on the national grid.

Lesson 2: Wind

Sometimes wind can feel like a bit of a mystery because we can feel it, but not see it.

Climate and weather

Information about climate and weather and links to climate-related websites.

Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone Outlook

A summary of up-coming tropical cyclone seasons, issued 6-monthly.

Wind and wind energy

PDF of this article (229 KB)

An example of results from a numerical model shows a line across the Manawatu hills near Te Apiti wind farm. (Click for detail)

Portable wind-monitoring station in Northland. (Photo: Graeme Mackay)

The NIWA SODAR on Tararua wind farm in 2000 and a sample wind profile. A foam plastic sound baffle is placed around the instrument to improve its performance. (Photo: Errol Lewthwaite)

Pete Mason and Dennis Jamieson check out the upgraded SODAR in 2005. (Photo: Bob Newland)

New Zealand is blessed with an abundant wind resource.

Winds & Storms

Winds & Storms - Looking back at the Wahine Storm

Tornadoes in New Zealand - FAQs

Some commonly-asked questions about tornadoes in New Zealand.

Extreme weather - winds and tornadoes

Due to its position in the 'Roaring Forties', a belt of strong winds in the Southern Hemisphere which generally occur between the latitudes of 40 and 49 degrees, as well as its small size, New Zealand is a windy country.

Climate change scenarios for New Zealand

Projections of how climate change is likely to affect New Zealand.

Pages

All staff working on this subject

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Dr Amir Pirooz

NWP/CFD Modeller and Analyst
Email Dr Amir Pirooz

Dr Christo Rautenbach

Coastal and Estuarine Physical Processes Scientist
Email Dr Christo Rautenbach

Dr Richard Turner

Meteorologist
Email Dr Richard Turner
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