New Zealand is exposed to catastrophic floods and landslides for the third day, and a high number of deaths

Weather of Arabia - With heavy rains continuing to hit the North Island in New Zealand, causing landslides, catastrophic floods and destroying roads, the death toll rose to four after confirming the death of a missing person.

Auckland, which has been subjected to heavy rainfall since Friday, is still in a state of emergency, New Zealand's largest city with a population of 1.6 million, and the country's weather service warned of more severe weather on Sunday and Monday in the North Island. She added that heavy rains could also cause floods and flood streets with water.

On Sunday, the authorities said that thousands of properties are still without electricity, while hundreds of properties have had no water.

The emergency has also moved south, with the Waitomo region - located about 220 kilometers (137 miles) from Auckland - declaring a state of emergency late Saturday.

Auckland airport terminal flooding

Auckland Airport recorded a record 249 mm (9.8 inches) of rain in 24 hours, forcing international and domestic terminals to halt flights on Friday afternoon. New Zealand's largest airport had delayed reopening its international terminal on Saturday because "vital components" Infrastructure was damaged due to severe flooding after the sudden summer storm.

However, Air New Zealand said the company's international flights to and from Auckland would resume at noon on Sunday.

Climate change minister James Shaw pointed to the link to climate change, in a tweet on his Twitter account, as climate change is causing bouts of heavy rainfall to become more common and more intense in New Zealand, although the impact varies by region.

What is the scientific reason behind the heavy rains experienced by New Zealand?

Arab weather answers

According to the weather maps in the Arab Weather Center, the scientific reason behind the formation of torrential rains in many regions of New Zealand is due to the concentration of an air elevation above the ocean waters that pushes air currents that rotate clockwise to pass over New Zealand at a northeastern angle, and the same air currents are characterized by the fact that they acquire two important characteristics, except They are: saturated moisture and warmth.

When these warm and moist air currents collided with the land, and due to the presence of mountainous terrain, these mountains contributed to the process of raising the air towards the upper layers of the atmosphere, which led to the transformation of moist air currents into clouds that multiply and lead to heavy precipitation, causing the formation of torrents and the flow of valleys.

It is expected that New Zealand will be exposed in the coming days to a different weather system in the form of a deep depression over the waters of the Tasman Sea, which will lead to strong winds and more weather disturbances, accompanied by heavy rains, with continued warnings of the dangers of torrential rains.

God knows.