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Story: Weather forecasting

Meteorological table, 1849

New Zealand’s weather has been recorded every day for more than 150 years. Analysing this data gives important insights into the country’s past climate, and helps scientists understand future climate change. This table was written by Dr Arthur Thomson during his 1848–49 observations, collected while he was posted in the Bay of Islands as surgeon to a British regiment.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: IA 1, 1850/2341

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Erick Brenstrum, Weather forecasting – Using climate data, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/7591/meteorological-table-1849 (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Erick Brenstrum, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 June 2016.