New Zealand Climate
Top 5 Cities: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, and Tauranga
This month in numbers
New Zealand experienced its 3rd warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 12.76°C, a significant +1.9°C anomaly compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This continues a trend, as the February–April 2026 period also ranked as the 3rd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1.3°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, indicating a widespread warming trend.
What changed
The warmer-than-average conditions in New Zealand over the past three months (February–April) are part of a broader pattern. While New Zealand ranked 113th globally for its April temperature anomaly, the persistent warmth aligns with the ongoing long-term warming trend of +0.96°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The country's 2025 annual average temperature of 10.83°C was the 12th warmest in 85 years of records.
What’s driving change?
The current climate is influenced by Neutral ENSO conditions, though La Niña-like weather patterns persisted through April despite the official demise of the recent La Niña event. This has contributed to a northeasterly circulation anomaly over New Zealand. The warming trend is also influenced by the effect, as land heats up roughly 1.5 times faster than oceans. New Zealand has experienced a series of significant weather events. In mid-February 2026, a "Valentine's Storm," a low-pressure system originating in the subtropics, brought heavy rain, flash flooding, and landslides to both the North and South Islands, leading to states of emergency in several districts and one fatality. In April, Cyclone Vaianu made landfall on the North Island, causing floods, power outages, and evacuations. This was followed by another low-pressure system a week later, and severe flooding and landslides also struck Wellington in late April, with parts of the capital receiving over 70 mm of rain in a single hour. These events highlight the compounding and cascading climate risks facing the country.
Looking ahead
The NOAA CPC forecast indicates that El Niño conditions are most likely to develop in the coming months, with a 61% chance for May–July and a 79% chance for June–August, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Southwest Pacific region, including New Zealand.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for New Zealand
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in New Zealand changing?
New Zealand is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for New Zealand come from?
Climate data for New Zealand comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the New Zealand climate data cover?
The New Zealand climate profile covers Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for New Zealand
How often is the New Zealand climate update refreshed?
The New Zealand climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.