Motorists should leave early to beat the worst of the holiday traffic. Photo/file
Thunder and lightning mixed with holiday weekend traffic and people driving north for the Lions has created a perfect storm for Queen's Birthday motorists.
The New Zealand Transport Agency has issued a warning for drivers, saying it's the first long weekend "before winter really sets in".
There are already reports
of heavy snarl ups in central Auckland and a serious crash near Whangarei this morning left one person fighting for their life.
Meanwhile, MetService is predicting miserable weather for the Upper North Island with heavy rain warnings out.
There is also chances of thunderstorms, it said on its Facebook page.
