New Zealand has had the warmest winter on record.
The latest data shows that seven of the 10 warmest winters have occurred since 2000.
The countrywide average for 2020 was 9.6C. This is 1.14C above the 1981-2010 average, taken from Niwa’s temperature series which began in 1909.
Temperatures across the country were generally above or well above average. Only a few spots were near average, including Tararua, Kaikoura, and parts of Southland and Otago.
The top spot was Timaru, with a completely out-of-season 25.1C on August 30.
The lowest temperature was -12.3C, at Middlemarch on June 14.
Of the six main centres in winter 2020, Auckland was the warmest and Christchurch was the coolest. Tauranga recorded the wettest and sunniest weather, Dunedin was the driest, and Hamilton was the least sunny.
The most rainfall in one day was 262mm, recorded at Kaikohe on July 17, and the highest wind gust was 191km/h, at Cape Turnagain on July 23.
According to Niwa there are four reasons for the warmer temperatures:
sub-tropical winds
warmer-than-average seas
more sunshine
climate change
11 Responses
this is not sad
Wow
yay
fishing season, here we come!
so cool
wow
Nooooo
this is not good. It’s because of climate change! The world is heating up. If the world gets too hot, we might have to leave the planet
Wow
wow that is cool
Just…wow!