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.
Climate and weather
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Auckland suffers wettest month in history
Media release02 February 2023January was Auckland's wettest month since records began, according to meteorologists. The Central Auckland Rainfall series recorded a total of 539 mm of rain at Albert Park, smashing the previous monthly record of 420 mm from February 1869. -
Mā te haumaru ō nga puna wai ō Rākaihautū ka ora mo ake tonu: Increasing flood resilience across Aotearoa
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Hotspot Watch 27 January 2023
Hotspot27 January 2023A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought. -
Climate and Māori Society
Research ProjectClimate has always been important for Māori. It affects natural environmental systems and resources, influences social-ecological knowledge and practice, shapes community vulnerability and resilience. -
TAN2302 voyage update - 26 January 2023
We are two weeks into the voyage and while we have yet to enter the Ross Sea we have already seen so much! We are onboard RV Tangaroa with a team of 20 scientists and 18 crew, including a ship doctor and ice pilot, heading for the Ross Sea to study ocean physics, food web dynamics, subseafloor fluid systems and benthic ecology. -
Hotspot Watch 20 January 2023
Hotspot20 January 2023A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought. -
Hotspot Watch 12 January 2023
Hotspot12 January 2023A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought. -
NIWA's 2022 Annual Climate Summary is now out.
Media release12 January 2023It's official - last year was once again Aotearoa's warmest on record, knocking 2021 off the top spot. It was also the 8th most unusually wet year on record – meaning lots of rain fell in unusual places. -
Virtual Climate Station Network (VCSN) data technical description
Virtual Climate Station Network (VCSN) data technical description -
Hotspot Watch 16 December 2022
Hotspot16 December 2022A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought. -
Protecting people
Feature story15 December 2022Mia Blyth talks to an environmental hazard specialist who feels a very personal connection to his work. -
Bridging the forecasting gap
Feature story15 December 2022Improvements in data and climate science mean forecasters are able to predict patterns much further ahead and in far greater detail. Melissa Bray looks at what this may mean for farmers.