Climate of New Zealand

The climate of New Zealand is mostly cool temperate to warm temperate with a strong maritime influence. However, due to its highly varied topography, microclimates can be found across the country. The main factors are similar to those found in the British Isles owing to the Pacific Ocean and latitude, although the mountain ranges can cause significant climate variations in locations barely tens of kilometres from each other.

Weather

The Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited (MetService), established as a State-Owned Enterprise in 1992, issues weather forecasts and official weather warnings.

Rainfall

Rainfall is generally plentiful in New Zealand, with most cities receiving between 620 mm (as in Christchurch) and 1317 mm (Whangarei) of precipitation annually.^[1] Rainfall is normally distributed evenly throughout the year in most parts of the country, especially in the South Island. Northern and eastern parts of the country, including Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington see a slight winter maximum consistent with a Mediterranean climate, although the difference between the wettest and driest months is too small to justify the designation. Summer and autumn maxima can be found in places closer to the southwest, such as Invercargill and Milford Sound.

How much rain a place receives is highly dependent on topography. The Southern Alps, the North Island Volcanic Plateau and surrounding ranges can produce large variation in rainfalls in places barely tens of kilometres apart. Milford Sound receives over 6,700 mm of the rainfall a year on average while barely 100 km away Alexandra in Central Otago receives only slightly greater than 300 mm annually, giving it a borderline oceanic/semi-arid climate.^[2]

Snowfall

Snow falls in New Zealand's South Island and at higher altitudes in the North Island, it is extremely rare at sea level in the North Island, with one snowfall in both Auckland and Wellington in 2011 after a period of 80 years where none occurred. Snow is more common inland in both main islands, though snow to sea level does occur on average once or twice per year in the central and southern South Island.

Temperature

As with many islands in the world, the influence of the ocean curtails any extremes in coastal temperature. The greater temperature ranges are found in the interior of the Canterbury and Southland regions, and especially Central Otago. Central Otago and inland Canterbury's Mackenzie Basin have the closest New Zealand has to continental climates, being generally drier (due in part to föhn winds) and less directly modified by the ocean. These areas can experience summer temperatures in the low 30s C and snow and severe frosts in winter, the latter exacerbated by hoar frosts in the river valleys and basins.

Many parts of the country, especially in the upper North Island, have high humidity all year round, which can have the effect of it feeling warmer in summer and cooler in winter than the thermometer indicates.

Annual mean temperature

Mean annual temperatures range from 10 °C in the south to 16 °C in the north of New Zealand. The coldest month is usually July and the warmest month is usually January or February. Generally there are relatively small variations between summer and winter temperatures. An example of this is Auckland which has a variation of just 9 °C between the average mid-winter high temperature (14.7 °C) and average mid-summer high temperature (23.7 °C). Temperature variation throughout the day is also relatively small. The exception to this is inland areas and to the east of the ranges with daily variations that can be over 25 °C and differences of up to 14 °C between the average summer and winter high temperatures. Temperatures also drop about 0.7 °C for every 100 m of altitude.

Northern cities such as Auckland, Whangarei, and Tauranga experience mean yearly maxima of between 19–20 °C and mean yearly minima of around 11–12 °C. Eastern cities on the North Island such as Gisborne, Napier and Hastings also have mean yearly maxima of between 19–20 °C but have slightly lower yearly mean minima of around 9–10 °C. The two largest cities on the South Island, Christchurch and Dunedin have mean yearly maxima of 17.3 °C & 14.6 °C and yearly mean minima of 7.3 °C & 7.6 °C respectively.

The annual daily mean temperature of the four main cities of New Zealand are 15.1 °C for Auckland, 12.9 °C for Wellington, 12.2 °C for Christchurch and 11.1 °C for Dunedin.

The nation-wide annual average temperature for the period 1971–2000 was 12.6 °C. During the years 2000–2012, the nation-wide annual average temperature saw a slight increase to 12.7 °C, with 5 of those years been cooler than average and the other years being average or above average.

Summer

Daily maximum temperatures are normally in the mid to low 20s (°C) over most of the country. They are higher in northern, eastern and interior part of the country; Hastings is the warmest city on average with 25.5 °C followed by Gisborne with 24.9 °C and Napier with 24.5 °C. Eastern parts of the South Island are highly susceptible to the norwester, a Fohn wind which can result in temperatures going into the high 30s and even the low 40s. Rangiora in Canterbury holds the record maximum of 42.4 °C recorded in 1973, with Christchurch recording 41.6 °C in that same year. More recently, Timaru reached 41.3 °C on Waitangi Day in 2011. Due to these winds, the cooler southern cities of Dunedin and Invercargill have higher all-time record temperatures than places further north such as Wellington, Auckland and Whangarei.

Winter

Winter temperatures are much milder in New Zealand compared to other areas of similar latitude, with the exception of the Central Otago and Mackenzie Basin regions mentioned above. Maxima are generally between 10 °C and 15 °C in the North Island, decreasing as one goes further south or inland. The South Island is a bit cooler, with maximum temperatures around 7 °C–12 °C, though sometimes lower. Eastern areas are generally cooler than the west. The lowest temperature ever recorded was –25.6 °C at Ranfurly in Otago in 1903, with a more recent temperature of –21.6 °C recorded in 1995 in nearby Ophir.^[3]

Severe weather events

February 1-6, 1868: The Great storm of 1868 was a violent storm that swept across much of New Zealand wrecking 12 ships and causing extensive flooding. About 40 lives were known lost and at the time an estimated £500,000 to £1 million worth of damage was caused. The storm is currently thought to have been an extratropical cyclone.

February 2, 1936: Worst storm of the 20th century in New Zealand.^[4]

April 10, 1968: Cyclone Giselle caused peak gusts of 145 knots (270 km/h) near Wellington, after colliding with an Antarctic storm moving north. Giselle led to the sinking of the interisland ferry TEV Wahine, and the loss of 53 lives. Total damage caused by the storm was estimated at $14 million.^[5]

December 20, 1976: Heavy rain caused widespread flooding and landslides in Wellington City and Hutt Valley. Hutt River burst its stopbanks and workers in Petone took refuge on factory roofs while rail links between Wellington city and the Hutt were suspended stranding thousands of commuters. Landslides destroyed houses and a boy was killed by a collapsing wall when a slip struck a hall in Crofton Downs. More than 350 mm of rain fell in 24 hours.^[5]

March 6–10, 1988: New Zealand is hit by a tropical cyclone once every eight to nine years. Cyclone Bola was one of the costliest cyclones in the history of New Zealand, causing severe damage as an extratropical cyclone when it passed near the country.

October 4, 1997: More than 60 homes were flooded and residents in Lower Hutt riverside areas were evacuated during downpours. Two people died, and isolated landslips closed some Wellington roads and parts of State Highway 1.^[5]

June 26, 1998: A severe thunderstorm affected Karori and Kelburn, with rain breaking all previous records and falling at a rate with a return period of well over 200 years. Rainfall at Kelburn totalled 69.5 mm between 7.35pm and 9.10pm.^[5]

October 13–27, 1998: Gale force northwesterlies blew throughout the lower North Island. On October 18, gusts of 183 km/h were recorded at Castlepoint. Winds were most severe on the following two days, when a gust of 215 km/h was recorded on a Wairarapa farm. A truck was overturned, ships ripped from their moorings in Wellington, and some houses lost their roofs.^[5]

January 10, 2002: Thunderstorms over Wellington resulted in torrential rainfall, about 40 mm in 30 minutes, and flash floods in the city centre. Similar storms, some with hail and surface flooding also happened in Whanganui, Manawatu, the central and eastern North Island, Buller and Nelson. The average recurrence interval of this rainfall event was estimated at more than 100 years.^[5]

February 14–16, 2004: The Valentine's Day storms left hundreds of people homeless, and silt and floodwaters inundated considerable areas of farmland. Many rivers breached their banks, bridges were damaged and stock was swept away by floodwaters. A civil state of emergency was declared in Whanganui, Manawatu and Rangitikei. About 500 Lower Hutt residents were evacuated because of floodwaters, and many commuters were unable to enter Wellington. The event produced galeforce southerlies, with gusts of 230 km/h in the Tararua Range, and swells of 11m in Cook Strait.^[5]

July 25 and August 14, 2011 New Zealand snowstorms: The first severe winter storm brought the coldest winter snap in fifteen years. During August snow fell consistently down to sea level in Wellington for the first time since 1976,^[6] and snow even fell for a brief time in Auckland for the first time in 80 years.^[6]

June 20–21, 2013 New Zealand storm: This extra-tropical system was first felt in the South Island by heavy snowfall on June 18 and 19. Late On June 20, the storm pushed northeast to the North Island, bringing very strong winds until early June 23. Schools were cancelled during the shortest day (June 21), due to massive damage.

Statistics

By area

Auckland
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     75     23 15     65     24 16     94     22 15     105     20 12     103     17 10     139     15 8     146     15 7     121     15 8     116     16 9     91     18 11     93     20 12     91     22 14 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3     74 60     2.6     75 60     3.7     72 58     4.1     68 54     4.1     63 50     5.5     59 46     5.7     58 45     4.8     59 46     4.6     61 48     3.6     64 51     3.7     67 54     3.6     71 57 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Hamilton
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     85     24 13     71     24 13     87     23 12     95     20 9     102     17 7     119     14 5     126     14 4     117     15 5     102     16 7     96     18 8     93     20 10     95     22 12 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.3     75 55     2.8     75 55     3.4     73 54     3.7     68 48     4     63 45     4.7     57 41     5     57 39     4.6     59 41     4     61 45     3.8     64 46     3.7     68 50     3.7     72 54 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Taupo
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     85     23 12     77     23 12     83     21 10     74     18 7     87     14 5     99     12 3     105     11 2     109     12 3     90     14 5     102     17 7     85     19 8     108     21 10 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.3     74 53     3     74 53     3.3     70 50     2.9     64 45     3.4     57 41     3.9     53 38     4.1     52 36     4.3     54 37     3.5     57 40     4     62 44     3.3     66 47     4.3     70 50 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Napier
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     48     24 15     62     24 15     85     23 13     75     20 10     62     17 7     81     15 5     92     14 5     67     15 5     65     17 7     55     19 9     57     21 11     56     23 13 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.9     76 58     2.4     75 58     3.3     73 55     3     68 50     2.4     63 45     3.2     58 41     3.6     57 40     2.6     59 41     2.6     62 45     2.2     67 49     2.2     70 52     2.2     73 56 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Wellington
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     72     20 13     62     21 14     92     19 13     100     17 11     117     14 9     147     12 7     136     11 6     123     12 7     100     14 8     115     15 9     99     17 10     86     19 12 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.8     69 56     2.4     69 56     3.6     66 55     3.9     62 52     4.6     58 48     5.8     54 44     5.4     53 43     4.8     54 44     3.9     56 46     4.5     59 48     3.9     62 51     3.4     65 54 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Nelson
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     72     22 13     57     22 13     78     21 11     86     18 8     77     15 5     85     13 2     86     12 2     90     13 3     73     15 5     92     17 8     82     19 10     75     21 12 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.8     72 55     2.2     72 55     3.1     69 53     3.4     65 47     3     59 41     3.3     55 36     3.4     54 35     3.5     56 38     2.9     59 42     3.6     62 46     3.2     66 50     3     69 53 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Hokitika
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     250     19 12     172     20 12     217     19 11     249     17 8     245     14 6     233     12 4     232     12 3     224     13 4     250     14 6     286     15 7     240     17 9     278     18 11 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     9.8     67 53     6.8     68 54     8.5     66 51     9.8     62 47     9.6     58 43     9.2     54 39     9.1     54 37     8.8     55 39     9.8     57 42     11     59 45     9.4     62 48     11     65 51 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Christchurch
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     42     23 12     39     22 12     54     20 11     54     18 8     56     15 5     66     12 2     79     11 2     69     12 3     47     15 5     53     17 7     44     19 9     49     21 11 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.7     73 54     1.5     72 54     2.1     69 51     2.1     64 46     2.2     58 40     2.6     53 36     3.1     52 35     2.7     54 37     1.9     59 41     2.1     63 45     1.7     67 48     1.9     70 52 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Alexandra
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     29     24 11     22     24 11     40     22 9     34     18 5     35     12 2     26     8 −2     23     8 −2     24     11 0     27     15 3     41     18 6     26     20 8     43     22 10 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.1     74 51     0.9     75 51     1.6     71 48     1.3     64 41     1.4     54 35     1     46 29     0.9     46 29     0.9     53 31     1.1     59 37     1.6     64 42     1     68 46     1.7     72 50 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Dunedin
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     73     19 11     59     19 11     70     18 10     62     15 8     67     13 6     68     10 4     61     10 3     55     11 4     48     13 6     64     15 7     67     16 9     76     18 10 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.9     66 52     2.3     66 52     2.8     64 50     2.4     60 46     2.6     55 42     2.7     51 38     2.4     50 37     2.2     52 39     1.9     56 42     2.5     59 45     2.6     61 47     3     64 51 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

^[7]

Records

Record	Measurement	Location	Date
Highest temperature	42.4 °C (108.3 °F)	Rangiora, Canterbury	7 February 1973
Lowest temperature	−25.6 °C (−14.1 °F)	Ranfurly, Otago	17 July 1903
Highest rainfall in an hour	134 mm (5.3 in)	Cropp River, West Coast	8 January 2004
Highest rainfall in 24 hours	758 mm (29.8 in)	Cropp River, West Coast	27–28 December 1989
Highest rainfall in a calendar year	16,617 mm (654.2 in)	Cropp River, West Coast	1998
Lowest rainfall in a calendar year	212 mm (8.3 in)	Alexandra, Otago	1964
Highest wind gust	250 km/h (160 mph)	Mount John, Canterbury	18 April 1970

Historical Climate

Data collection for determining the New Zealand climate began in the late 1800s, although European explorers made valid observations of climate indicators such as glaciers and moraines early in that century. Scientific study of early New Zealand climate is quite recent and ongoing. It has settled some of the debate regarding links between the Little Ice Age in the Northern Hemisphere and the climate in New Zealand at the same time. The key facts to emerge are that New Zealand did experience a noticeable cooler climate, but at a slightly later date than in the Northern Hemisphere. The onset of cooler climate was about 1450 and lasted until 1850. Indications are that temperatures were in the range of 1.5-2.0 degree Celsius lower than present during the New Zealand LIA. Since 2000 various scientific investigations looked at the behaviour of glaciers in relation to climate and found they were excellent indicators of temperatures, especially in summer. Glacial evidence of climate is matched by evidence of variations in tree ring growth and studies of ice core and ocean sediment samples indicating the types of micro organisms(some flourish in warm temperatures, other in cooler temperatures) and historical CO2 ratios.

Particular cool periods since the arrival of Polynesians up to 1850 were: about 1250, early 1400s, early 1500s, early 1700, summer 1760, summer 1790, and between 1840 and 1860.

Evidence found that the climate was more strongly influenced by the impact of tropical air masses in warm periods and polar air masses in cool periods. Recent (2010) studies by Victoria University have shown that the regional climates most effected were in coastal Otago and Southland. The dominant temperature influence here was the relative warmth of the sea to the south of New Zealand during the MWP. From about 1350 this region was notably warmer but then cooled relatively quickly from 1450. This cooling may have had a substantial impact on population in those areas. The limited historical record suggests that from 1450 the population of New Zealand underwent significant cultural change which may have links to climate cooling and dramatic changes in food supplies.^[8]

See also

• Nor'west arch
• Weather Channel (New Zealand)
• Climate change in New Zealand

References

Further reading

• State of the Climate 2010: A snapshot of recent climate in New Zealand (PDF), NIWA Science & Technology Series No. 56, NIWA, 2010, ISSN 1173-0382 
• Insurance Council of New Zealand: Cost of Disaster Events in New Zealand

External links

• MetService (Meteorological Service of New Zealand), a government agency that is the major provider of weather data
• MetVUW - a weather and climate service operated by Victoria University
  • MetVUW - forecasting
• NIWA - National Climate Centre
• NZ Weather - A New Zealand based weather forum
  • New Zealand Weather Network (NZWN) - a live weather map of weather stations around New Zealand
• List of private weather stations

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