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

    El Niño expected to produce severe tropical storms in the Southwest Pacific

    Media release
    14 October 2015
    Meteorological and climate analysis centres across the Southwest Pacific are indicating above average numbers of tropical cyclones (TC) for the 2015–16 season (November 2015 to April 2016).

  • Link to source page

    NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    09 October 2015
    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”.

  • Link to source page

    NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    02 October 2015
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.

  • Link to source page

    NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    25 September 2015
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.

  • Link to source page

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    The tempers and tantrums of spring

    Blog
    22 September 2015
    Just as we were ready to dust of our Jandals, you may be wondering why suddenly it feels as though we have been hit with a second winter!

  • Link to source page

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    NIWA science delves into ocean acidification

    Media release
    07 September 2015
    NIWA scientists are to undertake a major research project to determine how New Zealand’s marine ecosystems are faring under climate change.
    Climate change

  • Link to source page

    World congress confirms Lauder’s expertise

    News article
    05 June 2015
    The World Meteorological Organisation Congress has confirmed NIWA's Lauder atmospheric research station as one of Earth's leading providers of upper-air data critical for measuring climate change.
    Climate change
    Greenhouse and trace gases

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    NIWA Irrimet

    NIWA has developed new tools that can help farmers decide when to irrigate or fertilise.
    Agriculture

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    Lauder technician rediscovers historic data

    Media release
    28 May 2015
    A climate scientist at NIWA’s Lauder Station research centre in Central Otago has stumbled across the oldest known mid-infrared spectra – scientific readings taken 30 years ago on 29 May 1985.

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    Farmers wanted to help NIWA

    Media release
    28 May 2015
    The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research has developed new tools that can help farmers decide when to irrigate or fertilise. But it needs farmers to test out the tools to ensure they are as practical and easy to use as possible.

  • Link to source page

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    Weather watchers provide invaluable service

    News article
    20 May 2015
    For almost a century the Mason family of Feilding have been keeping a closer eye on the weather than most people. But now, at 94, Alan Mason is looking for a successor.

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    Palaeoclimate

    NIWA conducts a wide range of paleoclimate research to help us define and understand what the climate was doing before we had instruments to record it.