The weather is set to improve for many today after a dreary start to the weekend

MetService Forecaster Gerard Bellam says the North Island should get a bit of a reprieve.

He says showers and heavy rain warnings will start to expire from this morning.

It follows the previous two days which have seen scattered thunderstorms in the North Island and even homes catching fire from lightning strikes in Auckland and Northland.

The rain also caused a number of crashes on mostly rural Waikato roads which prompted police to release a reminder about driving to the conditions.