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Extreme Weather

A wild weather forecast can tell you if weather bombs, floods, cyclones, heatwaves, storms, tornados, hurricanes, and blizzards are headed your way. Explore these wild weather concepts and how to get an emergency survival kit ready. SCIS no. 1846911

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Petone flood

A man surveying flooding under the Petone overbridge, Wellington.

Extreme weather

Stories from survivors of extreme weather in New Zealand.

How’s the weather, Jim?

How’s the weather, Jim?

Jim Hickey on forecasting extreme weather events and interviewing a tornado survivor.

Tornado in Te Awamutu

Tornado in Te Awamutu

Local residents describe a mini-tornado.

El Nino

A prediction of El Nino in New Zealand, 2014.

Year of extreme weather

2011 was considered a year of extreme weather in New Zealand.

NIWA computer

Niwa’s new computer to forecast severe weather.

Cyclone Bola hits New Zealand in 1988.

Blizzard

Record-setting blizzard in New York.

Disaster management in the Pacific

World Bank says Pacific needs to prioritise disaster management.

Food supplies disrupted

Food supplies disrupted

Storm disrupts food supplies in the Pacific Islands.

Metservice under fire

Metservice under fire

Metservice defends severe warnings for Cyclone Cook.

Extreme temperatures

Extreme temperatures

Scientist certain that humans to blame for global warming.

Storm chaser

A Kiwi storm chaser forced to flee to safety.

Satellite sensing

Satellite sensors to help in weather forecasting and climate analysis.

Cost of damage

Insurance damage rises to millions.

El Nino and La Nina

El Niño and La Niña are weather patterns that occur every 3–7 years in the tropical Pacific Ocean. During El Niño, warm ocean waters (seen here in red) spread eastward across the tropical eastern P...

A soldier reports on a sandstorm in Egypt.

Hail damage

Hailstones damage fruiting trees.

Kōpuawhara flash flood of 1938.

Electrical storm

Electrical storm

Electrical storm in August.

Waterspout

Waterspout seen over Auckland Harbour.

New drought tools inform farmers of driest regions.

Emergency survival kit

Emergency survival kit

Being prepared for an emergency is a key message from Civil Defence.

The history of civil defence in New Zealand.

Climatologist

Climatologist discusses the impact of the global jet stream on weather patterns.

Wellington weather

Wellington weather

Climate change and the role of human actions.

Snowstorm

Worst snowstorm for 60 years say old-timers.

Worst snowstorm in 50 years

Worst snowstorm in 50 years

Dunedin freezes as the worst snowstorm in 50 years strikes the city.

Heatwave

Digital cartoons by Chicane on political and social issues in New Zealand and internationally. Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).

Southland windstorm

Southland windstorm

Witnesses recall runaway water tank.

Storm

A painting of a storm by Sybil Andrews.

Storm at Wellington Heads

Storm at Wellington Heads

A dramatic painting of a storm by Petrus van der Velden.

Cyclone Bola

Cyclone Bola Gisborne 1987: Floods

Moonshine floods

Moonshine floods

Residents rescued from the Moonshine floods in 1955.

Meteorologists

The work of meteorologist explained.

Tough week

Autumn weather is sometimes unpredictable and wild with strong winds, heavy rain, snow, thunder, and lightning. Added to this was a tough budget by Finance Minister Bill English in May 2011. It wou...

Cyclone Bola

Prime Minister David Lange smiles gratefully as he receives a huge check from Mrs Rosalie Blake from the Cook Islands Fundraising Committee for the Cyclone Bola relief fund.

Global warming

Cold and in the dark, a 'snowed-in' couple wonder why all the talk is about global warming. This event refers to a rogue snowfall in Canterbury. It was deeper than the snowstorm of 1945, and was on...

Tornado in Greymouth

Tornado in Greymouth

This photograph shows the damage done by a tornado that ripped through Greymouth on the 10thof March 2005. The tornado came in from the sea and made landfall at Blaketown. It then moved through the...

Cyclone Giselle

Cyclone Giselle

Cyclone Giselle caused great damage to the islands in the Pacific before it made landfall in Cape Reinga on the 9thof April, 1968.

Russian blizzard

Russian blizzard

Blizzards are dangerous winter storms with typically strong winds and heavy snowfall leading to low visibility and chilling temperatures.

Terrific storm

This newspaper article from September 1912 records a very stormy day in Auckland. The tropic-like rain lashed the city for half an hour. It ended in a hailstorm with hailstones reportedly the size ...

Drought

The South Island was badly damaged by El Nino weather patterns in the summer of 2015.

Cost of disaster events in New Zealand

The cost of insurance claims from New Zealand natural disasters from the Wahine storm until now.

Formation or winter storms and blizzards.

Getting close up to a tornado.

Weather disasters

5 great weather disasters of 1996.

Myths about extreme weather

5 myths about extreme weather.

Instruments used to take various atmospheric measurements.

Climate Relief Fund

Organisation raising funds for disasters due to climate change and extreme weather.

Extreme weather

Lesson plan with objectives, preparation, and vocabulary to study extreme weather.

Coldest temperatures

10 of the coldest recorded temperatures ever recorded.

Global warming and extreme weather

Impact of global warming on weather-related events.

Extreme weather

Most extreme weather around the world.

Extreme dry conditions that cause wildfires.

Hurricane Katrina

Facts, cost, and effects of Hurricane Katrina.

An explanation of the causes of drought.

Formation of a hurricane.

El Nino and la Nina explained

The impact of El Nino and La Nina on extreme weather.

NZ's biggest snowstorms: This polar blast has a lot to live up to

NZ's biggest snowstorms: This polar blast has a lot to live up to.

Formation of sandstorms and their strength.

Research papers

Links to global warming

Extreme weather and its relation to climate change.

Heat wave in Chicago

A report on the 1995 Chicago heat wave.

Formation of tornadoes.

Preparation before, during and after a storm in New Zealand.

Extreme weather

How to be prepared for the risks of extreme weather.

Forecasting thunderstorms

Monitoring and forecasting severe thunderstorms.

Severe storms and how they relate to cloud formation.

Facts about lightning including safety precautions.

Types of extreme weather

Different types of extreme weather.

The reason why Tāwhirimātea sends thunderstorms, etc. to earth.

Measurement of hurricanes

Measurement and classification of hurricanes.

Climate and weather

Where climate stops and weather begins.

Nigel Latta tests extreme weather

Explore the science and the ethical issues behind Latta's recreations of torrential rain, hurricane force winds and hypothermia.

Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes

Have you ever wondered about the differences between cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes?

Weather

What determines weather, climate and the seasons? These resources cover the causes for extreme weather and also weather forecasting, weather activities, meteorology and climate change.

Natural Disasters

Natural Disasters

We have no control over earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding, tsunamis, famine and avalanches. Explore how the United Nations (UNISDR) and Civil Defence in New Zealand manage emergencies and h...

Disasters New Zealand

Disasters New Zealand

Explore the impact and timelines of natural and man-made disasters in New Zealand like Wahine, Tangiwai, Erebus, and the Napier and Christchurch earthquakes. Also covered are Civil Defence, suppor...