New Zealand's Wild Weather

Book excerpt: The drama of New Zealand's changeable weather. Are the events we are seeing due to our changing climate? A compelling, informative and highly illustrated series of investigations into the different types of weather events that occur in New Zealand. It covers the likes of cyclones, heat waves, snow and drought, recounting gripping eye witness accounts and explaining just what's going on behind them all. Popular natural history writer Gerard Hutching has found a range of people affected by diverse weather events over the decades and tells their stories, bringing these events to life - from a dairy farmer and his quad bike being lifted 5 metres into the air by a cyclone then dropped 100 metres away, to the fisheries inspector who survives a lightning strike. The science behind these extreme weather events is explained in simple accessible terms by the scientists from MetService. And behind it all lies the big question - are these events a result of climate change? Well-known climatologist Professor James Renwick sets the scene of our changing climate and how that interacts with the wild weather that we experience here in Aotearoa. Contents- Weather in a Changing Climate; Understanding the Weather; The Ocean and the Weather; Tropical Cyclones; Rain; Wind; Snow; Drought; Heatwaves; Storm Surge; Thunder and Lightning; Hail; Tornadoes; Fog; Frost.