Latest news with #Niwa
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Weather: More than a hundred homes without power in Bay of Plenty
Stormy weather is passing over the North Island. Photo: RNZ/ Calvin Samuel Power is out in parts of the upper North Island as bad weather passes over . Earlier severe thunderstorm warnings have now been lifted, but a heavy rain watch remains in place for Bay of Plenty. PowerCo's outage map shows about 170 properties in Western Bay of Plenty are without electricity. Earlier outages in Auckland and Northland appear to be resolved. Niwa principal scientist Chris Brandolino told Checkpoint the place you don't want to be when there is lightning in and around your area is outside. "You definitely don't want to be on the water or on the beach or under a single tree in a paddock. Lightning is lazy, lightning is going to go for the tallest thing out there." He said the safest place to be is inside, away from windows: "There is an expression - when thunder roars, head indoors." Brandolino explained that thunder is a result of lightning. "Lightning is so hot - roughly five times hotter than the surface of the sun - it expands the air quite violently and then the air comes back, and it's that process that creates the thunder and loud noise." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Climate
- NZ Herald
Weather: Thousands of lightning strikes awaken Aucklanders during intense overnight storm
Aucklanders will this morning be inspecting their properties for damage after intense thunder and heavy rain overnight. The city had been under a thunderstorm watch overnight between 10.30pm and 1.30am and residents have woken to more thunderstorms. More than 5000 lightning strikes were recorded over the upper North Island and associated offshore areas from Sunday night. A lot of those strikes were in and around the Auckland region. Niwa said the lightning strikes were recorded between midnight until 7am. MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley said the thunderstorms would continue across West Auckland for some time this morning. 'We are seeing a region of instability over that area. 'There are definitely some sparks happening. These cells will probably move on through and on the afternoon to a few showers.' MetService said the city can expect rain with squally thunderstorms, easing to showers this morning. Showers are expected to become few and far between by the afternoon. Westerlies, gusting at 100km/h at first, are expected to ease towards the afternoon. 5000+ lightning strikes ⚡️ were observed over the upper North Island & adjacent waters from 12 am to 7 am Monday. Why the thunderstorms? One key reason is a strong temperature gradient (change in temp over distance). Near 0°C over the central NI, 16-17° in the Far North. — NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) June 8, 2025 MetService also reported a moderate risk of thunderstorms in Northland, Great Barrier Island, the Coromandel Peninsula, and northern and western parts of the Waikato. It said the thunderstorms are expected to be accompanied by heavy rain, hail, and wind gusts of up to 100km/h. Additionally, for western Waitomo and northern Taranaki, there is a low risk of thunderstorms throughout the period. In a post online, Niwa suggested that the upper North Island may be in for more thunderstorms on Tuesday afternoon into the evening. Parts of the North Island will also see showers today, particularly in the Bay of Plenty, with clouds spreading north this afternoon. For the upper North Island, showers are set to clear this afternoon. As well, bitterly cold winter conditions greeted householders this morning. Pawley said the coldest place in the country was Mt Hutt, which reached -8C overnight and -6C this morning. 'Manapōuri Airport also reached -5C,' he said. Blenheim was sitting at -1C. Advertise with NZME. In the North Island, Pahīatua was the coldest, at -3.6C. Temperatures in Central Otago have continued to drop. Road snowfall warnings remain in place for Crown Range Road, and Porters Pass and Lewis Pass. MetService head of weather news Heather Keats said the country is in for another unsettled week with a 'few messy features set to influence our weather'. She said a strong, cold southerly will continue to affect most of the country today, with another chilly start in the South Island. 'It's fine and frosty for the west and north of the South Island with a few more showers left for the east.' Keats said southerlies will also pick up this morning for Wellington and Kāpiti. MetService said last night that another freezing night was in store for New Zealand as an icy-cold front swept across the country. MetService meteorologist Surprise Mhlongo said temperatures will be lowest in Wānaka and Queenstown, with both towns expecting -1C. Blenheim and Milford face 0C, while Christchurch will sit at 3C. In the North Island, the lowest temperatures were forecast for Taupō at 0C. The news comes after parts of New Zealand awoke yesterday to the coldest day so far this year. Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch all had their coldest mornings at 4.5C, 2.9C and -2.8C. The alpine village of Aoraki/Mt Cook recorded a temperature of -10C and locals say the area got as low as -13C overnight.
NZ Herald
02-06-2025
- Climate
- NZ Herald
Winter weather: Warmer, wetter than average conditions for much of New Zealand
Kiwis should not bring out their warm coats yet, with forecasters predicting a warmer, but wetter, winter for much of New Zealand. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) forecaster Chris Brandolino said rain-bearing low-pressure systems
Otago Daily Times
01-06-2025
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
A warmer winter is on its way
Electricity bills may deliver less of a hammering this winter if Niwa's outlook for the next few months comes to fruition. It shows temperatures from June to August are "very likely" to be warmer than average this winter, meaning fewer cold snaps and frosts than usual. Niwa National Climate Centre forecasting principal scientist Chris Brandolino said El Nino Southern Oscillation (Enso) conditions in the tropical Pacific remained neutral at present, but there were "residual signals" that indicated weak La Nina conditions were persisting. Occasional La Nina-like atmospheric patterns might still emerge over the next three months, he said. "However, international guidance indicates about a 70% chance for the tropical Pacific to remain in an Enso-neutral state over the next three-month period." He said higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure was expected to the east of the country, leading to northeasterly flow anomalies that might shift to a more northwesterly direction towards the end of the three-month period. That means seasonal air temperatures are expected to be above average across all New Zealand regions for the winter season. "While cold snaps and frosts will occur, they are expected to be less frequent than usual." On the West Coast, Southern Alps and foothills, inland Otago, and Southland, temperatures were very likely to be above average, he said. Rainfall totals, soil moisture levels and river flows are about equally likely to be near normal or above normal. Temperatures were also very likely to be above average along coastal Otago, he said. "Rainfall totals are most likely to be in the near normal range, and soil moisture levels and river flows are about equally likely to be near normal or above normal." Mr Brandolino said for the remainder of the calendar year, Enso-neutral conditions were expected to persist. "The guidance available, however, suggests the possibility for La Nina conditions to return by summer 2025-2026." La Nina can bring more northeasterly winds to New Zealand, leading to drier conditions in the south and southwest of the South Island.
NZ Herald
26-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Rule-breaking boaties threaten Bay of Islands dolphin sanctuary
A science report commissioned by DoC and undertaken by Niwa and the Far Out Ocean Research Collective suggested 'a trend of significant decline' was continuing in the number of bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands. The report stated 40 bottlenose dolphins were estimated to be in the area last autumn. The figure was a stark drop from the 244 dolphins in 1997 but an improvement on the population's lowest point of 16 dolphins in 2019. Bottlenose dolphins are an indicator species – their presence provides information about the condition of the marine environment in the Bay of Islands. DoC said in an internal review into the sanctuary's effectiveness that not enough time had passed to evaluate any long-term demographic changes sanctuary restrictions may have had on bottlenose dolphins. However, Niwa's report suggested the sanctuary's effectiveness may be hampered by rule-breakers but acknowledged data may be limited because the study was relatively short. Niwa found non-commercial boaties observed over a 20-day period rarely adhered to the sanctuary's rules for minimising dolphin interactions. 'Compliance with the sanctuary rules was generally poor, with power-driven vessels rarely adhering to rules minimising dolphin interactions or the safe zones,' the report said. 'However, all vessels were compliant with rules preventing swimming with marine mammals.' Rules state if a boat is within 300m of a marine mammal inside the sanctuary, people must stay out of the water, the boat must stay put and is only able to move once the mammal is further away. A 5 knot speed limit applies to all vessels inside two separate areas of the sanctuary. Currently, a DoC ranger carries out enforcement patrols during the busy season, such as summer, but patrol days and resourcing are limited in the shoulder seasons. DoC said the report underscored the need for long-term, evidence-based conservation efforts. The department's northern North Island regional operations director Sue Reed-Thomas said DoC was determined to address gaps in the current management of the sanctuary. 'Bottlenose dolphins are long-lived animals and population trends take time to shift,' Reed-Thomas said. 'Our focus is on consistent, proactive management, underpinned by science and supported by strong partnerships with hapū [local Māori] and the wider community.' DoC's Bay of Islands operations team has started work to enhance compliance and enforcement within the marine mammal sanctuary, continue building on the partnerships with local hapū and expand community engagement and education efforts. 'Together, we can take meaningful steps to ensure these taonga species are protected for generations to come,' Reed-Thomas said.
