Weather hazards

Risks from natural hazards are part of every day life for New Zealanders.

New Zealand has low-lying coastal areas that are vulnerable to inundation (flooding) by the sea.

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.

A glossary of common climate change and meteorological terms.

Some commonly-asked questions about tornadoes in New Zealand.

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

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

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

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”

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

Dog Island levels

Whitianga Wharf sea levels