New Zealand Climate
Top 5 Cities: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, and Tauranga
This month in numbers
April 2026 saw New Zealand record its 3rd warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 12.76°C, a significant 1.9°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This continues a trend, as the February–April 2026 period also ranked as the 3rd warmest on record for the country, 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
New Zealand's recent warmth stands out, with the country's April anomaly of +1.9°C being considerably warmer than the Oceania group average of +1.11°C. The three-month period from February to April also saw New Zealand experiencing significantly above-average temperatures. This warming trend is consistent with the long-term picture, as New Zealand's average temperature for 2025 was 10.83°C, marking it as the 12th warmest year on record.
What’s driving change?
The warming experienced in New Zealand this past month and season is occurring during a period of ENSO neutral conditions, though a shift towards El Niño is strongly forecast for the coming months. While ENSO's influence on New Zealand's climate accounts for less than 25 percent of year-to-year variance in temperature and rainfall, an evolving El Niño typically brings stronger or more frequent westerly winds in summer, leading to drier conditions in eastern areas and more rain in the west. In April, heavy rainfall led to floods and landslides in the North Island, particularly in the Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington regions, resulting in evacuations and road closures. Wellington experienced 77 mm of rain in less than an hour on April 20, exceeding half of the city's average April rainfall.
Looking ahead
The NOAA CPC forecast indicates a high probability of El Niño developing in the coming months, with an 82% chance for May–July and increasing to 98% for August–October. This suggests a likely continuation of warmer temperatures and potentially altered rainfall patterns, with a higher risk of drier conditions in eastern New Zealand and increased rainfall in western areas.
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.