Climate of New Zealand

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Satellite photo of the South Island after a blizzard in July 2003

The climate of New Zealand is maritime and lies in the temperate latitudes of the southern hemisphere , which is the reason for the relatively mild climate of the islands of New Zealand .

Climate description

The climatic conditions of New Zealand are shaped by various factors. The island character, because it is surrounded by extensive sea areas, ensures a maritime basic climate with a relatively small difference between winter and summer and on average rather high amounts of precipitation. The mountainous character of the country allows in the valleys and basins (e.g. Queenstown , Mackenzie Basin and the Central Otago District and leewards on the east coast) a continental regional climate with plenty of sunshine, less rainfall and large temperature differences between day and night. The relative proximity to the large cold reservoir of the Antarctic with its pronounced cold advances from the south that occurs all year round also has a major influence on the climate, especially on the South Island . On its way over the sea, the cold air warms up quickly, but still provides z. T. very cool night temperatures. In many places off the coast, even in summer, it can temporarily cool down to 5 ° C at night. From the southern part of the South Island in particular, brief summer snowfalls in locations below 1000  m are reported again and again . As a result, the temperature differences between cold and warm days of a month are often greater than those between winter and summer.

New Zealand is generally in the west wind zone and is therefore repeatedly crossed by low pressure areas from the southwest in winter and summer , which are often accompanied by strong winds or even storms ( roaring forties ). Nevertheless, there are always longer periods with the influence of stable high pressure areas , which can sometimes cause weeks of drought. The difference between winter and summer is not as fundamental as e.g. B. in Central Europe , however, the low pressure activity is generally higher in the southern winter and southern spring, while in the southern summer and southern autumn the stable high pressure areas predominate and ensure calm weather conditions. Summer low pressure areas are less common, but because they move more slowly, they can cause very intense rainfall, especially if they tap air masses from the tropical sea with north winds and then hit mountain barriers in New Zealand . In December 2011 , catastrophic rain floods occurred in the Tasman region , which in some places caused over 1000 mm of precipitation within a few days - more than the average annual precipitation in Germany . Every few years in the north and northeast of the North Island in summer there are also incursions of dissolving tropical storms , which usually no longer cause extreme wind strengths , but bring abundant rainfall with them.

Northern climatic zone

Mean annual temperatures of New Zealand from 1870 to 2008

Kaitaia , Whangarei , Auckland and Tauranga .

The northern parts of the North Island are characterized by a more subtropical climate , with warm humid summers and mild winters. In the slightly hilly landscape of the northern regions, the strong oceanic influences in winter rarely result in temperatures below freezing point or snowfalls . Many island and coastal locations are even completely free of frost and snow and allow the cultivation of subtropical crops such as bananas or avocados . The maximum daily temperatures in summer are usually between 22 ° C and 26 ° C, but rarely above 30 ° C. In winter they level off between 12 ° C and 17 ° C.

The duration of sunshine over the year is an average of 2000 hours, whereas the region around Tauranga can even have around 2200 hours of sunshine. The winds prefer to come from the southwest and bring rain and unsteady weather. Sea breezes from the north bring warm air with them. In summer and autumn, the foothills of tropical storms coming from the east or northeast can lead to high wind speeds and heavy rains.

Central part of the North Island

Hamilton , Taupo and Rotorua .

These areas are protected to the south and east by mountains, some of which are very high, such as the up to almost 2800  m high Moun Ruapehu , Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe in the south and the elongated mountain ranges of the Raukumara Range in the east. Therefore stronger winds from the southwest or east are rather rare here. The inland summers tend to be dry and warm, and the weather conditions are more stable. 21 ° C to 26 ° C, rarely 30 ° C, can be measured in summer. In winter the temperatures are between 10 ° C and 14 ° C, frost, on the other hand, rarely occurs, but is possible in clear weather and calm winds . In general, however, the winter weather is considered to be inconsistent. The duration of sunshine is between 2000 and 2100 hours per year. The wind mostly comes from the southwest, although the area around Taupo and Rotorua has its own local winds in summer through Lake Taupo and the smaller lakes to the northeast.

Southwestern climatic zone of the North Island

Rangipo Desert with Mount Ruapehu in the background

New Plymouth , Wanganui , Palmerston North and Wellington .

Influenced by the winds of the Tasman Sea , this region is considered to be very windy. Typical of this is the capital of New Zealand, Wellington, known as Windy City . Here the winds coming from the southwest penetrate over the mountains as downdrafts into the city and thus cause turbulence and sometimes strong gusts of wind . The calmest weather in the region can be found in summer and early autumn. Summers are warm with 19 ° C to 24 ° C, rarely 30 ° C. The maximum daily temperatures in winter are between 10 ° C and 14 ° C, with the coastal region tending to be milder and, towards Palmerston North and Wellington , rather cooler. The average hours of sunshine per year are around 2000. Inland it is a little more cloudy.

The desert-like region of Rangipo Desert around the Ruapehu volcano has less rainfall than other regions. Because of this and because of the altitude and the harsh and windy climate with frequent night frosts, fertile soils could not develop there. The vegetation is accordingly sparse.

Eastern climatic zone of the North Island

Gisborne , Napier and Masterton .

The east coast is some of the sunniest part of the North Island. Protected by the mountains and mountain ranges to the west of the Ruahine Range , Kaweka Range and Raukumara Range and more frequent foehn weather , the east coast can point to around 2200 hours of sunshine per year. The maximum daily temperatures in summer are between 20 ° C and 28 ° C, but often over 30 ° C. 39 ° C have also been measured. The winters are mild with maximum daily temperatures between 10 ° C and 16 ° C. Compared to the prevailing westerly winds, the sea winds bring warm weather in summer and heavy rainfall from the east or south-east in bad weather.

Due to the mild climate, which is warm in summer, the regions around the cities of Gisborne and Napier are also considered to be one of the main growing regions for tropical fruits such as oranges, tangelos , kiwis and avocados.

Northern climatic zone of the South Island

Nelson and Blenheim .

Protected by mountains in the west, south and in parts also in the east, the climatic zone of Marlborough and Nelson is the sunniest in the whole country with around 2400 hours of sunshine a year and thus represents the climatic opposite of the south. Warm and dry summers with daily maximum temperatures between 20 ° C and 26 ° C can be found there. In winter these are between 10 ° C and 15 ° C. The region around Nelson gets the wind preferentially from the north-northeast, but is considered the windiest city in New Zealand. The region around Blenheim further east gets the wind from the southwest, like most regions in the country. At the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the weather conditions become unstable, but the amount of rain is almost evenly distributed over the year.

Since the particularly rain-intensive weather conditions with north winds coming from the north accumulate on the northern slopes of the mountains and rain down there and at the same time there is no lack of sun throughout the year, this region is climatically particularly favorable for viticulture.

Western climate zone of the South Island

Stormy seas on the West Coast , 15 km north of Greymouth

Westport , Hokitika and Milford Sound .

On the South Island, the climate of the west coast differs markedly from that of the east coast, as the mountain range of the New Zealand Alps acts as an obstacle to the prevailing westerly winds and thus spares eastern parts of the country. Coming from the Tasman Sea, the low pressure areas hit the steep slopes of the west coast practically unhindered and rain out there. This means that the annual precipitation values ​​of up to 6750 mm (Milford Sound) are among the highest in the world. Nevertheless, there are relatively little rainy times in late summer and over winter. The maximum daily temperatures are 17 ° C to 22 ° C in summer, rarely 25 ° C, in winter 10 ° C to 14 ° C. The preferred wind direction comes from this direction in the southwest and the further north you go on the coast, the wind comes more and more from the northwest to Westport and Hokitika also north-northeast. The rainiest winds come from the northwest towards the coast.

The almost unpopulated Fiordland in the south-west of the South Island is particularly rich in clouds and rain , as the influence of the subtropical high pressure areas rarely reaches there. With around 1800 hours of sunshine a year, the region is not one of the poorest in sunshine in the country.

Eastern climatic zone of the South Island

Kaikoura , Christchurch and Timaru .

The central eastern part of the South Island is protected by the New Zealand Alps to the west. As a result of this location, there is significantly less rainfall with sometimes longer dry periods in summer. The maximum daily temperatures on summer days are usually between 18 ° C and 26 ° C, sometimes extremely above 30 ° C. In Christchurch , 42 ° C, the highest temperature New Zealand has ever had. Winters are cold and can get frosty. The highest daytime temperatures during this period are between 7 ° C and 14 ° C. While the wind preferentially comes from the northeast over the year, it swings to the southwest in winter.

Inland climatic zone of the South Island

Kakanui Mountains , Otago , near Naseby

Lake Tekapo , Queenstown , Alexandra and Manapouri .

The central part of the South Island, also known as the inland, is climatically very dependent on the very high and wide mountain ranges of the New Zealand Alps. Since the rain clouds are raining down on the western slopes of the Alps, not much is left for the eastern part. The inland areas east of the Alps are dominated by a more continental climate . This is characterized by the climate of the Otago highlands , warm and dry in summer and cold in winter, often with severe frost and snowfall. Alexandra , located in the heart of Otago , is considered to be the least rainy place in the country with 360 mm of precipitation per year. The highest daytime temperatures in summer are between 20 ° C and 26 ° C, sometimes rising to 30 ° C. The typical winter temperatures are between 3 ° C and 11 ° C, depending on the location. The winds depend on the topology and often come from the northwest when they are strongest. The duration of sunshine is also very different depending on the location. While Manapouri brings it to an estimated 1700 hours, the hours of sunshine in the region around Queenstown are around 1900 in the region around Alexandra around 2000 and at Lake Tekapo even around 2200.

Southern climatic zone of the South Island

Dunedin and Invercargill .

Most of this climatic zone is exposed to sea winds that come preferably from the south or south-west. The winds, when they come from large areas of low pressure, access the cold reservoirs of the Antarctic and thus bring severe frosts in winter or extremely low temperatures in summer with their cold advances. The Southland region in particular, with Invercargill as the largest city, is left completely unprotected against cold advances from the south. So even in summer it can temporarily get so cool that snowfalls below 1000 m can be expected. Winds from the northwest, on the other hand, warm up the regions again. Typical maximum daily temperatures in summer are between 16 ° C and 23 ° C, rarely even 30 ° C. In winter, temperatures often do not make it past 8 ° C to 12 ° C. The regions around Invercargill and Dunedin are the areas with the lowest amount of sunshine in the country with around 1600 hours of sunshine a year.

Climatic extremes in New Zealand

  • On July 17, 1903, Ranfurly in Central Otago measured −25.6 ° C, the lowest temperature ever recorded in New Zealand.
  • In contrast, on February 7, 1973 in Rangiora , 25 km north of Christchurch , the highest temperature ever recorded was 42.4 ° C.
  • The highest wind speed over land was measured on April 18, 1970 by the Mt John University Observatory on Mount John at around 250 km / h.
  • In Wellington in 1959 and 1962 wind speeds of 248 km / h are said to have been measured.
  • The highest precipitation in 10 minutes was recorded in Tauranga on April 17, 1948 , when 34 mm of precipitation fell.
  • In Leigh on May 30, 2001, 109 mm of precipitation was measured in one hour.
  • On January 21, 1994, 682 mm of rain fell on Colliers Creek in 24 hours.
  • Calculated over a year (365 days) the precipitation record holds the area around the Cropp River , a tributary of the Whitcombe River , which flows into the Hokitika River , where from October 29, 1997 to October 28, 1998 18,442 mm fell.
  • In Alexandra in Otago , from November 1963 onwards, only 167 mm of precipitation fell within 12 months.
  • The longest rainy season in Wai-iti in Marlborough lasted from February 8, 1939 to April 19, 1939, a total of 71 days.
  • The place with the longest sunshine is the region around Nelson. On average, around 2400 hours of sunshine can be expected there. In one year it should have been over 3000.

Climate table

New Zealand map for the adjacent table and with climate zones for the article
Item place region Low
impact
mm / year
Rainy
days
/ year
Sun
hours
/ year
Temp.
/ Medium
Temp.
/ Highest
Temp.
/ Lowest
1
Kaitaia Northland
1334
134
2070
15.7
30.2
0.9
2
Whangarei Northland
1490
132
1973
15.5
30.8
-0.1
3
Auckland Auckland Council
1240
137
2060
15.1
30.5
-2.5
4th
Hamilton Waikato
1190
129
2009
13.7
34.7
-9.9
5
Taupo Waikato
1102
116
1965
11.9
33.0
-6.3
6th
Tauranga Bay of Plenty
1198
111
2260
14.5
33.7
-5.3
7th
Rotorua Bay of Plenty
1401
117
2117
12.8
31.5
-5.2
8th
Gisborne Gisborne
1051
110
2180
14.3
38.1
-5.3
9
New Plymouth Taranaki
1432
138
2182
13.7
30.3
-2.4
10
Napier Hawke's Bay
803
91
2188
14.5
35.8
-3.9
11
Wanganui Manawatu-Wanganui
882
115
2043
14.0
32.3
-2.3
12
Palmerston North Manawatu-Wanganui
967
121
1733
13.3
33.0
-6.0
13
Master tone Wellington
979
130
1915
12.7
35.2
-6.9
14th
Wellington Wellington
1249
123
2065
12.8
31.1
-1.9
15th
Nelson Nelson
970
94
2405
12.6
36.3
-6.6
16
Blenheim Marlborough
655
76
2409
12.9
36.0
-8.8
17th
Westport West coast
2274
169
1838
12.6
28.6
-3.5
18th
Hokitika West coast
2875
171
1860
11.7
30.0
-3.4
19th
Kaikoura Canterbury
844
86
2090
12.4
33.3
-0.6
20th
Christchurch Canterbury
648
85
2100
12.1
41.6
-7.1
21st
Aoraki / Mount Cook Canterbury
4293
161
1532
8.8
32.4
-12.8
22nd
Lake Tekapo Canterbury
600
78
2180
8.8
33.3
-15.6
23
Timaru Canterbury
573
81
1826
11.2
37.2
-6.8
24
Queenstown Otago
913
100
1921
10.7
34.1
-8.4
25th
Alexandra Otago
360
66
2025
10.8
37.2
-11.7
26th
Dunedin Otago
812
124
1585
11.0
35.7
-8.0
27
Milford Sound Southland
6749
186
1800 * 1
10.3
28.3
-5.0
28
Manapouri Southland
1164
129
1700 * 1
9.3
32.0
-8.1
29
Invercargill Southland
1112
158
1614
9.9
32.2
-9.0
30th
Chatham Islands Chatham Islands
855
133
1415
11.4
28.5
-2.3

Source: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), data from 1971–2000.
Note: * 1 estimated values

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Northern New Zealand . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  2. Central North Island . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  3. ^ South-West North Island . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  4. ^ Eastern North Island . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  5. ^ Northern South Island . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  6. ^ Western South Island . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  7. ^ Eastern South Island . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  8. ^ Inland South Iceland . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  9. ^ Southern New Zealand . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  10. a b Gregor Macara : Scientist turns detective on NZ temperature records . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , December 3, 2014, accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  11. Climate Summary for March 2010 . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , April 8, 2010, accessed on March 3, 2016 .
  12. Tom Fitzsimons : Climate Summary for March 2010 . The Dominion Post , December 9, 2011, accessed March 3, 2016 .
  13. a b c d e f Erick Brenstrum : Weather - Lows - depressions - Record rainfall . Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand , September 3, 2013, accessed March 3, 2016 .
  14. ^ B. Ristori : Nelson region - Climate and environment . Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand , July 31, 2015, accessed March 3, 2016 .
  15. Climate summaries . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , accessed on March 2, 2016 .