A 12-month run that’s delivered record-breaking deluges and dramatic marine heatwaves has proven New Zealand’s warmest period since observations began more than 150 years ago.
That’s according to a prominent climate scientist’s analysis, as global agencies report that 2023 looks likely to go down as the planet’s hottest in recorded history.
In assessing the local picture, Professor Jim Salinger compared October-to-November temperature data from 22 land sites against a 1951-80 average.
The result came in at 1.15C above that three-decade baseline – the highest for any such period in records stretching back to 1870. Read more