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The Conversation
The Conversation
Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Scholar, NCAR; Affiliate Faculty, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

What northern NZ’s wet and sticky summer reveals about our warming atmosphere

Dean Purcell/Getty Images

New Zealand’s summer has been defined by repeated bursts of intense rain, as subtropical systems have swept down over the upper North Island and beyond.

Floods, slips and storm damage – most recently in Christchurch – have dominated the headlines. But many of the season’s events have come with another feature we rarely talk about: the sheer amount of moisture in the air before the rain even starts.

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