New Zealand records warmest June since record-keeping began

New Zealand has recorded its warmest June since record-keeping began, as ski fields struggle to open and experts predict shorter southern winters in the future.

According to Gregor Macara, a climate scientist at the government-owned National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, the record was set due to a combination of variables, including more winds coming from the milder north rather than the colder south, and abnormally warm water temperatures.

Despite a cold spell late in the month, daily the average temperature of New Zealand in June was 10.6 degrees Celsius (51 Fahrenheit), according to to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). That is 2 degrees C above the 30-year average in June and above 0.3 C above the previous record set in 2003 and 2014. Record-keeping began in 1909.

“It’s huge. There’s only been 13 times since record-keeping began in 1909 that we’ve had such an abnormality,” NIWA scientist Chris Brandolino told public radio.

“What’s alarming is that over the past 10 years that’s happened six times.”

While shorter-term causes like warmer ocean temperatures aided in warming the air over New Zealand, climate change was a persistent underlying factor, according to Brandolino.

“We’ve had more north-easterly air movements than usual (from the Pacific), so they’re coming from a warm region, and ocean temperatures are also higher than typical,” he explained.

In 2020, New Zealand saw its seventh warmest year, and the sixth year in a decade where temperatures were among the top ten highest ever recorded.

Last year, New Zealand’s centre-left Prime Minister, declared a ‘climate emergency,’ stating that immediate action was required for future generations’ sake.

New Zealand has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to generate all of its energy from renewable sources by 2035.