Scientist reports Upper North Island hit by a “weather bomb”, calls for urgent action for peace not climate violence
“Upper North Island experienced intense rainfall from a ‘weather bomb’ event that began over the weekend (January 17-19, 2026). Some areas received over 280mm of rain in just 24 hours, causing widespread flooding”, says Dr. Jim Salinger from the Climate Club Science Panel.
“Weather bomb” is a rather evocative term that is increasingly used in the media to describe Explosive Cyclogenesis – a storm that very quickly gains strength caused by a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure in a 24-hour period.
At Punaruku, rainfall reached a staggering 285.5mm in 24 hours starting Saturday, including 160mm falling in just two hours on Sunday morning. That is roughly a month’s worth of rain compressed into the time it takes to watch a movie. Ngunguru recorded 189.5mm over the weekend.
Scientists say these events are not isolated accidents. As the atmosphere warms from Climate Change, it can hold more heat and moisture, effectively loading the dice toward heavier, more intense rainfall.
Yesterday (Wednesday) MetService had issued RED heavy rainfall warnings for the Upper North Island (RED is the top warning level) with the heaviest rain expected in Gisborne from Tolaga Bay northwards, with between 250 and 350 millimetres of rain in the next 26 hours.
“If we want fewer ‘weather bombs’, we need to take the heat out of the atmosphere”, says Emily Mabin Sutton, CEO of Climate Club.
“That means urgent, collective action to cut emissions – not later, not someday, but now. Moments like this underline why climate action can no longer be treated as abstract or optional. The impacts are already being felt in homes, communities and livelihoods across Aotearoa.”
The Climate Club Science Panel has been urging New Zealanders to take part in the Climate Club Challenge – a practical, community-led initiative designed to help people reduce emissions in everyday life while building collective momentum for demanding bigger systemic change.
The government and our elected officials have a lot to do as well.
“While Te Tai Tokerau communities have been hit by multiple floods and power cuts in the last few years, the government has been actively scrapping key climate policies, rejecting advice from the Climate Change Commission, lowering methane targets, and saying ‘later’ to climate change. We deserve urgent action from our elected representatives to address the root cause of this – human-caused climate change.”, says Emily.
“No single action fixes the climate. But stronger policies and thousands of people acting together absolutely can.”
“We need government action to build resilience into our communities so we can have power, food, and water when systems and communities are cut off. We need real conversations about managing retreat and planning infrastructure. And most importantly we need urgent climate action and international solidarity. Our government should be going after ‘most ambitious’ climate goals, not ‘the least we can do’”
As extreme weather continues this summer, Climate Club says the real risk is not just floods or storms, but inaction.“We can keep inventing new phrases like ‘weather bombs’ for increasingly extreme weather”, Emily says. “Or we can change the story – by acting together to cool things down. That means systemic change. It means acknowledging the link between climate change and extreme weather events. It means demanding the government to take decisive positive climate action. It also means society collectively adopting more and more climate positive habits.”