New Zealand's winter may have more sou'westers and cold snaps than usual, says meteorologist Chris Brandolino. After three record warm winters, the c
New Zealand’s winter may have more sou’westers and cold snaps than usual, says meteorologist Chris Brandolino. After three record warm winters, the cooler weather may come as a shock, even if it is a normal winter. While this may be good news for ski fields, they would require both cold temperatures and moisture for natural snowfall. However, the global climate is now moving into El Niño, which causes warmer waters in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in drier conditions, and not favourable for the ski fields. Brandolino also says that La Niña, which has been the weather driver for the past three years, has disappeared, so it is unlikely that all the rainfall that has occurred this year would persist.