Statistics released yesterday showed temperatures during March were at record highs in many places across the country, making it the second-equal hottest on record for New Zealand.
Niwa principal climate scientist Dr Brett Mullan said at 17.6degC, the average March temperature tied with March 1999 and was just behind March 1968.
Dunedin experienced its warmest March on record, posting a mean air temperature of 16.6degC for the month, 2.9degC above average.
Other areas of Otago and Southland recording their hottest March were Cromwell (17.0degC), Gore (15.3degC), Invercargill (15.0degC), Lumsden (14.7degC), Nugget Point (14.9degC), Ranfurly (15.1degC), Roxburgh (16.8degC) and Wanaka (16.8degC), he said.
''The high March temperatures were consistent with our warming climate and when seen in context with other warm months, a clear trend was evident.''
Niwa climatologists used averages spanning a 30-year period from 1981 to 2010 as the basis of their calculations.
''There were six years before 1930 which did not have a single month in the year warmer than the 1981-2010 average. But in 1998 and 2013, 11 out of 12 months were warmer than normal.
''Of the past 100 months (from December 2010 to March 2019), 70 were warmer than average and 30 were colder. The increasing frequency of warm months versus cold months is clear evidence of a warming climate. Greenhouse gas increases are the driving factor behind the progressive warming for New Zealand and the globe.''
Dr Mullan said New Zealand could expect high temperature records to be broken with increasing frequency.
''Australia has just experienced its hottest March on record, and its hottest first quarter of the year ever recorded,'' he said.
