What weather will we see?

When is the next tornado coming our way?

What is the weather going to do this summer?

Is climate change going to be a lot of hot air?

These questions and more will be answered by a noted climatologist at two free public presentations in Taranaki early next month.

Dr Jim Salinger, the Taranaki Regional Coordinator for NIWA’s National Climate Centre, will be giving seminars in Hawera and New Plymouth on Thursday 6 December about what the climate has in store for the region.

“NIWA has a lot of detailed data on Taranaki’s weather patterns and what the climate has in store for us, so Dr Salinger’s presentation will be useful to the agricultural, energy, transport and tourism sectors as well of general interest to us all,” says NPDC Manager Quality Assurance John Sutton.

The presentations will include information on the planned weather radar at New Plymouth Airport, what the current La Ninã weather pattern will send to Taranaki this summer, some thoughts on climate change and also the latest data on Taranaki tornadoes.

“On average there is one tornado somewhere in the region every year, so this data will be of particular interest to residents,” says John.

The Hawera seminar will be in South Taranaki District Council’s Council Chamber from 10.00am to 11.30am, while the New Plymouth seminar will be in NPDC’s council chamber from 3.30pm to 5.00pm.