Current climate: July 2019
July 2019 was characterised by higher than normal mean sea level pressure east of New Zealand
New Zealand Climate Update 242 - August 2019
30 August 2019
What happened in July how our climate outlook for the previous three months turned out, global and local sea temperatures, and our outlook for August-October.
Global setting: July 2019
During July 2019, SSTs dipped below El Niño thresholds (i.e. +0.70 ̊C) in the central Pacific for the first time in 5 months.
Outlook: August-October 2019
August – October 2019 temperatures have about equal chances of being near average (35-40% chance) or above average (40% chance) for all regions of New Zealand. Despite a low chance for below average seasonal temperatures, an abnormally cold period is expected in early August..
Retrospective: May-July 2019 Outlook
Air pressure was expected to be higher than normal to the west and north of New Zealand and below normal to the south of the country, resulting in more westerly quarter winds than normal.