Preliminary analysis by NIWA scientists has shown that the severe weather event in Canterbury, New Zealand, from May 29 to 31, 2021 was so extreme in some inland areas that it could be considered a "one-in-200-year" event. On May 29, extremely heavy…
A severe storm has brought rain and heavy unseasonal snow to parts of Canterbury's ski fields this week. As much as 5 m (16.4 feet) of snow fell at the summit of Mt. Hutt between Monday and Tuesday, May 31 and June 1, 2021. The same weather system brought 2 to 3…
Hundreds of residents in north Canterbury in New Zealand have been evacuated amid severe flooding fuelled by a one-in-100-year heavy rain over the weekend. According to NIWA, the rainfall was 200 to 400 percent of normal for the month of May, causing rivers to rise…
The New Zealand MetService has issued a rare Red Warning for Heavy Rain for the Canterbury region of South Island for the weekend. Meteorologists warn this could be the most significant rainfall for the region in 10 years. Heavy rain is also expected over other…
A state of emergency was declared in Napier, New Zealand, after up to 242.4 mm (9.5 inches) of rain triggered damaging floods, landslides, and power outages that affected more than 3 300 homes on Monday, November 9, 2020. The amount of rain that fell in a 12-hour…
A rapidly intensifying severe weather system brought thick snow and wind gusts of over 100 km/h (62 mph) to parts of New Zealand on Sunday, September 27, 2020, resulting in closed roads and dozens of flight cancelations. Met Service described the storm as "the…
Unusual interaction between two low-pressure zones caused intense storms over New Zealand's Northland on July 17, 2020. The worst affected was Whangarei, where emergency services responded to more than 220 calls. "This is just diabolical for our people….
Thousands of residents in South Island, New Zealand, were forced to evacuate their homes on Wednesday morning, February 5, 2020, after severe flooding hit the region, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency. The severe weather also left hundreds of…
Snow was reported on the hills of Southland, New Zealand on Monday morning, January 6, 2020, as a cold snap continued affecting the province in what is now its summer season. MetService issued a warning for strong southwest gales up to 120 km/h (75 mph) for coastal…
More than 857 000 lightning strikes have been recorded over New Zealand in 72 hours starting midnight local time Friday, December 6, 2019. Severe storms, landslides, slips, and flooding in the South Island cut off towns and trapped roughly 1 000 foreign tourists….
