New Zealand to Expect Above-Average Heat for Summer

New Zealanders can expect more than average temperatures for summer all over the country, according to New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric (Niwa) Research on Sunday.

Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said that heat waves will likely be coming through semi-regularly as New Zealand go through December. 

"We've seen record or near-record temperatures, dozens of them as we went through November. We could be dealing with more of that as we go through the rest of the summer season," said Noll.

He said the hot weather was because of the warming ocean around New Zealand. 

"Our ocean temperatures are warming up, and the last couple of years we've had marine heatwaves in our coastal waters," said Noll. 

Climate change was unquestionably part of the conversation, he said. "We live in a warming world. So these temperature extremes, they become more likely, the warmer our temperatures get."

Some of New Zealand cities have had water restrictions and fire bans due to the dryness and rain shortage caused by hot weather.

Fire emergencies grew across New Zealand as the weather is getting warmer from October. A massive fire broke out in pine trees north of Dunedin in early November. On Oct. 22, fire broke out in Auckland SkyCity Convention center construction site, burnt down the roof of the scheduled 2021 APEC meeting venue. 

Source: Xinhua