"There's really warm air masses arriving to New Zealand from Australia ... [it's] happening more frequently." The current outlook for summer was looking warm and wet, with warmer water temperatures influencing warmer air temperatures, and a potential wind change bringing rainfall. But the "unsettled" weather and warmer temperatures weren't shocking. In his six years at NIWA, Macara said record-breaking high temperatures were more frequent than record-breaking low temperatures - "it's not even a contest". While warmer temperatures might be welcomed by some Kiwis - especially those in Southland - it represented a bigger issue.

Source: Stuff December 04, 2019 03:18 UTC