El Niño combined with global warming means big changes for New Zealand’s weather
- Written by Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Scholar, NCAR; Affiliate Faculty, University of Auckland

El Niño is officially here, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and with it comes a change from the La Niña weather patterns New Zealand has experienced for the past three years.
In particular, a switch from prevailing northeasterlies to southwesterlies means New Zealand is one of the few...