A familiar commute turned into a nightmare for thousands of Auckland drivers on Monday(June 9) as severe weather and gridlocked traffic collided during the evening rush.
From Papakura to Bombay, a 27‑kilometre crawl dominated the Southern Motorway. Normally a 28‑minute trip, commuters spent nearly three hours in their vehicles as a truck spill briefly shut all lanes south of the city. Across the city, even trips from Te Atatū to Manukau, a typical 22‑minute drive, stretched past two hours.
Severe thunderstorm watch
This gridlock coincided with a Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued by MetService, covering Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, the Coromandel, Waikato, Waitomo, and Taranaki until midnight. Meteorologist Devlin Lyden warned of a “solid band” of storms, drifting in from the northwest at a rate of 25–40 mm/h, enough to trigger flash flooding, slips, and power outages.
“It’s one solid slap,” Lyden said, though he cautioned that smaller storm cells could follow the main front.
The peak hit Auckland and the Waikato around 6 pm, and this evening’s rush intersected with the worst of it. Drivers described scenes of near‑standstill traffic, walls of water, and wipers struggling to clear drenched windshields. Motorists urged caution:
“If you’re on the roads, drive to the conditions… maybe try and delay travel,” Lyden advised.
This storm system comes on the heels of an earlier one that disrupted flights at Auckland Airport, canceling 15 domestic flights and delaying 30 more amid heavy fog. NIWA confirmed over 5,000 lightning strikes in the upper North Island last weekend; after one storm clears, others are likely to follow.
Why should everyone pay attention?
From Papakura to Bombay, a 27‑kilometre crawl dominated the Southern Motorway. Normally a 28‑minute trip, commuters spent nearly three hours in their vehicles as a truck spill briefly shut all lanes south of the city. Across the city, even trips from Te Atatū to Manukau, a typical 22‑minute drive, stretched past two hours.
Severe thunderstorm watch
This gridlock coincided with a Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued by MetService, covering Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, the Coromandel, Waikato, Waitomo, and Taranaki until midnight. Meteorologist Devlin Lyden warned of a “solid band” of storms, drifting in from the northwest at a rate of 25–40 mm/h, enough to trigger flash flooding, slips, and power outages.
“It’s one solid slap,” Lyden said, though he cautioned that smaller storm cells could follow the main front.
The peak hit Auckland and the Waikato around 6 pm, and this evening’s rush intersected with the worst of it. Drivers described scenes of near‑standstill traffic, walls of water, and wipers struggling to clear drenched windshields. Motorists urged caution:
“If you’re on the roads, drive to the conditions… maybe try and delay travel,” Lyden advised.
This storm system comes on the heels of an earlier one that disrupted flights at Auckland Airport, canceling 15 domestic flights and delaying 30 more amid heavy fog. NIWA confirmed over 5,000 lightning strikes in the upper North Island last weekend; after one storm clears, others are likely to follow.
Why should everyone pay attention?
- Safety first: Flash flooding can launch cars into streams, and gusty winds could topple tree branches
- Unpredictable timing: Forecasts say the heaviest rain will hit during peak commuting hours, so it's not just about inconvenience—it’s a genuinely hazardous road environment.
- Previous floods: Auckland’s worst‑ever floods in early 2023 caused mass evacuations, infrastructure damage, and lasting community trauma.
