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https://theconversation.com/what-northern-nzs-wet-and-sticky-summer-reveals-about-our-warming-atmosphere-276157>
"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.
Even by Auckland’s standards, recent humidity readings have been notable.
On February 2, the Whangaparaoa automatic weather station on the city’s North
Shore recorded a temperature of 24°C with 98% relative humidity. That implied
the dew point – a direct measure of humidity – also came close to 24°C, making
for conditions not merely muggy, but oppressive.
A fortnight earlier, on January 21–22, humidity in Tauranga reached similarly
sticky levels, with dew point measuring 20°C to 24°C. Over that period, a
record-breaking 274mm of rain fell within 24 hours, triggering separate
landslides that claimed eight lives.
While humidity is often treated as just an uncomfortable part of summer in the
upper North Island, it can, like extreme rainfall, tell us something important
about the warming state of our atmosphere.
It also presents a real risk to human health that can be overlooked when we
focus on temperature alone."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
