Weekend temperatures break record

Blue sky and sun, may be used as background

GISBORNE broke its record for the warmest July 23 and 24 since records began in 1909 with weekend conditions that created a "perfect storm" for warm weather.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) predicted that the approach of tropical winds could make for an exceptionally warm Saturday and that came to pass. Gisborne recorded a high of 20.3 degrees Celsius, topping its previous record for July 23 of 19.5, recorded in 1973.

The region reached a high of 19.6 degrees on Sunday, breaking a record that had stood since 1949.

The double record-breaker means Gisborne “won out this time around” but temperatures were up all over New Zealand, said NIWA meterologist Ben Noll.

“It really felt more like November than July, with about two dozen records broken around the country. In fact, in Auckland it was 18.8 degrees at 3am on Sunday. There were a few pieces to the warming “puzzle”, he said.

“The first piece, and the one that came into play this weekend, is the tropical winds that have been streaming southwards from islands like Vanuatu. The second is how warm the oceans are around New Zealand at the moment. The third is climate change.”

Whether the climate change component made up 5 percent or 30 percent of the puzzle was not known, Mr Noll said.

“But what we do know is that temperatures have warmed about a degree in New Zealand over the past century and 2016 has been a standout, the warmest year since records began in 1909.”

However, the “toastiness” of 2016 did not necessarily mean the warming was accelerating, he said.

“This year has certainly been very very impressive in terms of temperature but we think it’s an exception due to a number of factors, some natural, some enhanced by climate change.

“Overall, it has been a steady climb over the past 100 years and we think this year’s conditions are simply the result of a perfect storm of conditions coming together.”