Global Setting – December 2010
7 February 2011
The equatorial Pacific is in a strong La Niña state, which is likely to continue through February and then begin to ease. During Jan-Mar, mean sea level pressures are likely to be above normal over and east of New Zealand.
Sea surface temperatures
Sea surface temperatures are presently near normal around New Zealand, and are expected to become warmer than normal over the coming three months. Tropical cyclone activity is likely to be near- or above-normal for the rest of this season (through to May).
Differences from average global sea surface temperatures for December 2010. Map courtesy of NOAA Climate Diagnostics Centre (http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/map/images/sst/sst.anom.month.gif).
