Severe storms
What
As temperatures increase, so too does the atmosphere’s capacity to carry more moisture. This can result in more severe rainfall events, which is likely to result in more floods.
Extreme winds are also expected to increase over the next century. Given our place on a narrow island nation in the Pacific, Waitaha/Canterbury already often experiences strong winds, but these may become stronger and more frequent.
In addition, the temperature differences between the land and the sea will become more pronounced in summer, which can cause more of the strong north-easterly airflows we are already so accustomed to.
Although we are expecting increases in extreme wind and rain in our region over the next century, these projections are significantly lower than for other parts of New Zealand/Aotearoa.
Impacts
Next
As Waitaha/Canterbury's climate warms, the likelihood of drought is expected to increase and areas that are already dry, such as the Mackenzie Country, will get even drier.