Wellington, Jan 25 (IANS): A strong marine heatwave, the periods of unusually warm ocean temperatures, is contributing to New Zealand's unusually hot weather, due to which the North Island is experiencing above-normal humidity levels, keeping nighttime temperatures elevated.

Marine heatwaves affect everything from ecosystems to economics and influence weather patterns, priming the environment for tropical cyclones, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric (NIWA) research meteorologist Ben Noll said on Thursday.

Due to the rapidly intensifying marine heatwave, sea surface temperatures had reach a near-record 23-24 Celsius in some coastal areas in late January, Xinhua news agency reported.

Sea surface temperatures around Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, are borderline tropical, he said

"The fact that this marine heatwave is coinciding with the typical annual peak means it's stacking a 2-3 Celsius anomaly on top of the ocean warming we normally see at this time of the year," he said, adding swimmers and surfers will have likely noticed the unusually warm waters.

As per NIWA physical oceanographer Erik Behrens, the large warming around the North Island is unusual and does not align with the pattern typically expected during El Nino.

The year 2024 has already witnessed record-breaking temperatures, with places such as Wellington Airport recording its highest January temperature in more than 60 years, and more than 50 locations tracking toward a near-record or record warm month, Behrens said