A strong El Niño weather pattern is thought to swarm the country for the summer months, according to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). However before the warm, dryer weather makes its way across the country, New Zealand can expect to experience a cold spring ahead.
So just because the calendar has flicked over to September, its not time to put away the wooly jumpers quite yet! The NIWA report warns of a colder-than-average spring with cold snaps and frosts expected in some parts of the country from time-to-time.
This years El Niño phenomenon is thought to be one of the strongest climate outlook ever recorded. The pattern increases the chance of drought in the north and east of the North Island as well as in the east of the South Island over the summer months.
