Climate change in New Zealand

Last winter warmest on record

A graph showing the historic temperature increase. The zero line is the average temperature from 1961-1990.

Stuff,

6 January, 2-14

New Zealand has emerged from its second-warmest year and warmest winter on record.

But it is bad news, as it follows a global trend which an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report blaming it on ''increasing greenhouse gases augmenting the greenhouse effect''.

Climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger this morning released the figures.

The above-average temperatures were expected to continue this year, he said.

They show 2013 was the warmest winter nationally since records began in 1870.

Last year was the second-warmest on record nationally with temperatures on average 0.84 degrees Celsius above normal. The only year it was hotter was 1998, when it was 0.89C above average.

Masterton, Omarama, Timaru, Invercargill and the Chatham Islands all had record years.