By ANNE BESTON
New Zealand is about to return to more normal weather as the La Nina weather pattern fades away and is replaced by ... nothing.
The country has a big climate shift every 20 to 30 years, says National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research scientist Dr Jim Salinger.
The last big change was in 1977, so a new one is probably due and it may be a "neutral" pattern.
"You'll probably find some people will say the weather is more like it used to be when they were young," says Dr Salinger.
"There will be a more balanced pattern, but we don't know how long it will last."
New Zealand's weather has been dominated for the past three years by the rogue weather patterns El Nino and its sister, La Nina.
El Nino, which usually brings cool weather, instead caused droughts in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay and warm and wet weather on the west of the South Island.
La Nina lived up to its reputation by bringing consistently warm weather, and was blamed for the droughts in Otago and South Canterbury.
Dr Salinger says traditional factors such as temperatures in the Indian Ocean are likely to influence New Zealand's weather once La Nina has gone.
But the severe frosts of the past are unlikely to return.
"The climate has been getting progressively warmer since 1900 so there will be less frost," he says.
La Nina is forecast to fade away by the end of July.
At last - more weather like the good old days
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