Why are Kiwis so obsessed with the weather?

As a nation, New Zealand cannot get enough of the weather.

Tales of storms, and temperature- and weather-related chaos, attract readers en masse. Scroll through any social media timeline after a decent storm and feeds are inundated with photos of the carnage.

We crunched the numbers and spoke to Ben Noll, meteorologist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa), to find out why Kiwis love a bit of weather.

Is the weather even that big a deal? You bet it is. People love it. Weather articles on stuff.co.nz consistently get a massive response. In May, Stuff weather stories accumulated 3,572,484 page views. To date, June weather stories have already generated 1,375,620 views. It is not just a winter thing either. In January, weather stories earned just shy of 7 million views. Surely you’d get that with any country? According to Noll, you absolutely do. ‘‘But pretty much every country thinks it has the weather obsession crown,’’ Noll says.

So our fascination isn’t that special? Actually yes, it is. While every country may think they are smitten with weather, we Kiwis really love it.

OK, but why weather?

For a start, the diversity of the weather we get in New Zealand makes for great conversation. Weather talk is an easy elevator icebreaker, and the fact our weather has a bit of everything makes it exciting enough to keep coming back for more. ‘‘The combination of what’s going on on land, and being surrounded by this massive ocean on all sides adds to the allure,’’ Noll says. It helps that winter is filled with storm stories and the odd tornado, too. So we just love the chaos?

You’d think so, but nope. Noll says while winter generates some pretty intense weather chat, our summer weather obsession is just as strong. In fact, the Niwa team have a running joke about New Zealand’s Christmas forecast. In the build-up to summer, the Niwa team has a bit of a bet going as to when the first reporter will call looking for a Christmas Day forecast. ‘‘It usually happens in September or October.’’ But if we love any old story, what makes a truly great one?

It pretty much comes down to what will be memorable for you. For Noll, that story was his wedding in February 2022. It was the day Cyclone Dovi arrived. He said a wedding day would be the one day you really would not want a tropical cyclone to make landfall, and the irony is not lost on him that he, a meteorologist, picked a cyclone day to tie the knot. ‘‘I think something that creates that memorable experience, tying that human side of things, would make the best story.’’

Hang on, this obsession is just so we have something to talk about?

Well, yeah, pretty much. Noll says it makes for the easiest conversation starter, no matter the social situation. ‘‘It’s like that ubiquitous chatter, it’s an icebreaker for every situation.’’

Can’t we just chat about any old thing? Sure, but the weather is something that impacts everything and everyone. Noll says it brings people together, when people are pretty divided over a lot of issues.

Do I need to understand it before striking up a conversation?

Not really, but Noll suggests an understanding of the science behind a weather app can prove useful.

I can’t scroll through my social media feed without seeing weather posts, what’s that about?

It adds to the excitement, says Noll. ‘‘Social media has taken it up a level. We see people who are thrilled to send in photos of clouds and tornadoes or big waves. We’re able to see these events from different angles almost in real time because of that.’’