Tuesday, August 10, 2004
We're in for a bumpy ride, weather-wise
An official new 75-year weather forecast says New Zealand is in for dramatic extremes of flood and drought.
The Environment Ministry report, Preparing for Climate Change, which charts possible climate changes across the country predicts New Zealand will be a warmer, stormier place by the 2080s. It finds:
An official new 75-year weather forecast says New Zealand is in for dramatic extremes of flood and drought.
The Environment Ministry report, Preparing for Climate Change, which charts possible climate changes across the country predicts New Zealand will be a warmer, stormier place by the 2080s. It finds:
- Temperatures will rise by 3 degrees C in the next 70-100 years.
- Flooding is four times more likely across the country by 2080, meaning disasters such as this year's Bay of Plenty and Manawatu floods will be more frequent and more severe.
- Frosts and heatwaves will be more common, while seasonal water shortages similar to those Canterbury and Marlborough experience now will be exacerbated by prolonged drought.
- As New Zealand gets warmer, sea levels will rise, threatening beaches and coastal properties.
Warmer temperatures will allow tropical pests and diseases - such as mosquitoes carrying dengue fever - to establish where previously it has been too cool, and the ski industry could be undermined as warm weather melts the snow.
