New Zealand records 3rd-warmest winter on record

New Zealand recorded its third-warmest winter on record in 2026, with a nationwide average temperature of 9.7 degrees Celsius, Earth Sciences New Zealand said Friday.



The temperature was 1.1 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 winter average, making it the third-warmest winter since the country's seven-station temperature series began in 1909, the agency said in a statement.



Exceptional warmth in June and a relatively warm winter throughout the South Island were the dominant features of the country's overall seasonal temperature, while temperatures were near average in parts of Northland, Auckland, Waikato, eastern Bay of Plenty and Gisborne on the North Island, it said.



Winter rainfall was above or well above normal in Southland, Otago, southern and inland Canterbury and the West Coast on the South Island, while large parts of the North Island recorded below-normal rainfall, the agency said.