Hurricane History Map

New Zealand storm history

72 storms have passed within 50 km of New Zealand from 1912 to 2026, drawn on the map and coloured by intensity.

Tap or scroll to load the interactive map

Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near New Zealand

The record holds 72 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of New Zealand between 1912 and 2026. The busiest month is March, with 19 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 1 strength. 29 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 72storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 2at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near New Zealand?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression57%
Tropical storm3650%
Category 123%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity2940%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (southern hemisphere).

New Zealand storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 15 in 1990s.1910s31920s11940s11950s71960s111970s101980s81990s152000s32010s92020s4

The 2020s only run to 2026, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1912, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1910s3
1920s1
1940s1
1950s7
1960s11
1970s10
1980s8
1990s15
2000s3
2010s9
2020s4

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 19 in Mar.Jan12Feb17Mar19Apr11May4Jun2Jul1Aug0Sep0Oct0Nov1Dec5
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan12
Feb17
Mar19
Apr11
May4
Jun2
Jul1
Aug0
Sep0
Oct0
Nov1
Dec5

Strongest storms near New Zealand

  • Gisele:giselle (1968)3 April 1968 to 10 April 1968, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 965 hPa
  • Hina (1985)11 March 1985 to 20 March 1985, Category 1 (70 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 910 hPa
  • Zoe (1974)5 March 1974 to 20 March 1974, peak Tropical storm (63 kt), 980 hPa
  • Watorea (1976)22 April 1976 to 30 April 1976, peak Tropical storm (63 kt), 980 hPa
  • Hal (1978)4 April 1978 to 22 April 1978, Tropical storm (63 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 965 hPa
  • Sarah (1994)18 January 1994 to 4 February 1994, Tropical storm (63 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 975 hPa

Most recent storms near New Zealand

  • Vaianu (2026)5 April 2026 to 13 April 2026, Unknown intensity near here, peak Category 3 (99 kt), 954 hPa, provisional
  • Gabrielle (2023)5 February 2023 to 15 February 2023, Unknown intensity near here, peak Category 2 (90 kt), 956 hPa
  • Hale (2023)4 January 2023 to 11 January 2023, Unknown intensity near here, peak Tropical storm (50 kt), 985 hPa
  • Dovi (2022)7 February 2022 to 13 February 2022, Unknown intensity near here, peak Category 2 (90 kt), 940 hPa
  • Gita (2018)7 February 2018 to 22 February 2018, Unknown intensity near here, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 927 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

Notable storms near New Zealand with their own pages

  • Hina (1985)11 March 1985 to 20 March 1985, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 910 hPa
  • Sarah (1994)18 January 1994 to 4 February 1994, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 975 hPa
  • Ivy (2004)21 February 2004 to 2 March 2004, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 935 hPa
  • Harry (1989)6 February 1989 to 23 February 1989, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 925 hPa
  • Bola (1988)23 February 1988 to 11 March 1988, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 940 hPa
  • Wilma (2011)20 January 2011 to 30 January 2011, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 939 hPa
  • Meli (1979)24 March 1979 to 31 March 1979, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 945 hPa
  • Simon (1980)21 February 1980 to 3 March 1980, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 950 hPa
  • Drena (1997)1 January 1997 to 13 January 1997, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 935 hPa
  • Gene (2008)26 January 2008 to 9 February 2008, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 945 hPa
  • Esau (1992)24 February 1992 to 9 March 1992, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 925 hPa
  • Zuman (1998)28 March 1998 to 10 April 1998, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 955 hPa

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