Taking Basic Precautions
Try to wait out the thunderstorm if possible. Driving in thunderstorms is not recommended, as heavy rain causes reduced visibility in addition to slippery roads (and therefore, heightened potential for a car accident). If the weather forecast predicts thunderstorms, especially severe ones or with associated severe weather conditions, consider waiting out the storm and going out when the weather is more tolerable. If you don't have a choice in driving during a storm, find a weather station on the radio so you can keep track of the conditions while driving.
Be aware of the conditions you may encounter. Ensuring that you know the potential conditions while driving will help you remain on-guard and prepared. While the conditions will be affected by your location and the time of year, the weather and situations that you may encounter in a thunderstorm includes: Mild to severe rain Thunder and lightning strikes Strong winds Weather closely associated with thunderstorms (e.g. hailstorms or tornadoes) Affected road conditions (e.g. flooded roads, muddy roads, or roads blocked by debris)
Do not drive in a vehicle without a hard roof and windows. Now is not the time to drive a convertible—the roof of a convertible does not protect from falling hail or debris, and doesn't effectively conduct electricity around you should lightning strike your car. And while it may seem obvious, don't drive in a vehicle that doesn't have a closed body, such as a motorcycle, a golf cart, or a car with no windows.
Perform basic checks on your car before leaving. In theory, you're supposed to check your car before every time you drive, but many drivers don't adhere to that. However, if you're going to be driving in a thunderstorm, you and other drivers will need to react quickly, and a crucial component of the car not operating right could cost someone their life. Make sure all of the following are operable and in good condition; otherwise, do not drive. Oil and antifreeze levels Windshield wipers Blinkers Brakes Headlights and taillights Tires (newer tires are less susceptible to hydroplaning) Ensure you have insurance paperwork and your license with you, as well as emergency equipment for your car (e.g. spare tires).
Fill the gas tank if it's low. The last thing you want is to be stranded with an empty gas tank during the middle of a storm. If you notice that your gas tank is close to empty, and you have to go out driving, fill it up at a nearby gas station as soon as possible.
Tell someone where you're going. Letting someone know where you're going is important if you're making a long drive or are heading through particularly severe storms. Should you not return after a certain amount of time, this person can call you and get help sent in your direction if you're stuck in a bad situation. Bring your cell phone with you. If you get stuck in your car or end up in an emergency situation, it will help to be able to call emergency services and/or an emergency contact.
Keep a personal emergency kit in your car. While it's not likely that a thunderstorm on its own will strand you somewhere, thunderstorms can cause other emergencies (such as flooding or mudslides) that can leave you stuck, or occur alongside a tornado. If you end up trapped in your car, having the following items in your safety kit will be beneficial in case of emergency: Water Snacks high in protein A first-aid kit or medical supplies Flashlights, battery-powered radio, and spare batteries Emergency contact cards Blankets Clothing and toiletries Cell phone charger Adjust the supplies based on your personal circumstances (e.g. driving with family or with a pet).
Driving Safely
Wear your seatbelt. In many places, it's legally required to wear a seatbelt when driving at all times, and this is even more important if you're driving in severe weather conditions. Wearing your seatbelt helps reduce the risk of being thrown around (or even through the windshield) if the car skids or crashes, which can prevent serious injuries and even save your life. If you're driving with other passengers in the car (especially children), make sure they wear seatbelts, too.
Be alert. Even if you know the route you're going and have driven it every day, staying alert is important, as the road conditions change during severe weather. You need to be ready to make evasive maneuvers or take alternate routes when needed. Don't multitask while driving. Keep both hands on the wheel and be ready to slow down at any given moment.
Tune into a weather station on the radio. Find a station that covers the area you'll be driving through and stay on it while driving. If you're making a very long drive and the station will only apply to one location, get a passenger to find another station so that you aren't distracted by fiddling with the radio.
Turn on your headlights and windshield wipers. It's obvious that heavy rain will restrict your visibility, so your windshield wipers are a necessity, but headlights will also increase visibility in any kind of rain. Use the high beams and adjust your windshield wiper speed as necessary. In the US and Canada, it's legally required to use your headlights when driving with reduced visibility. Should your car's windows fog up due to the rain, turn on your defroster or AC to clear them.
Avoid using cruise control. Stormy conditions are not the time to use cruise control—since you don't have as much control over the car's speed when using cruise control, you may not be able to react quickly enough if you need to make an emergency maneuver or stop. Keeping cruise control off will also keep you alert, which is extremely important when driving during a thunderstorm. Hydroplaning while in cruise control will cause your car to go faster than if you were driving the car manually.
Drive below the speed limit. During storms, oil surfaces on the road, making the roads much slipperier and resulting in skidding at high speeds. Additionally, going too fast while there's water on the road can result in hydroplaning (when your car loses road traction due to water-filled tire treads), and both skidding and hydroplaning can result in car accidents. Driving below the speed limit will reduce the risk of skidding. Driving below the speed limit will also give you more time to react if another car on the road swerves, skids, or even crashes. In the US, you can be ticketed for driving at the speed limit during heavy weather conditions.
Give other cars extra space. Driving slower is not a reason to tailgate, especially when the roads are wet. During rain and thunderstorms, giving cars extra space is important, since the roads will be slick and your vehicle may take longer to stop. This is especially important if there are strong winds, as cars can be blown around and certain vehicles (e.g. trucks) can be easily knocked over.
Don't drive into standing water. Even 6 inches (15 cm) of water is enough to potentially stall or damage a car, and 1 foot (30 cm) of water can cause the car to float. Additionally, a flooded road may be damaged or even be swept away. Drive slowly into shallow water to avoid hydroplaning, and if the road is badly flooded, find an alternate route. Do not drive into water if you can see that a power line has fallen into it, as water conducts electricity extremely easily. Avoid driving into moving water. Your car can be swept away.
Pull over if you can't see while driving. If the rain is so heavy that your windshield wipers aren't helping, find an appropriate place to pull over so that you can wait out the storm. Turn on your emergency blinkers so that other drivers know you're there. Try to find a relatively populated place to pull over—don't stay on the side of the highway or in the middle of nowhere unless there isn't another choice. Pull over under a sturdy location if possible. However, do not stay under a bridge or overpass. These can collapse during or after severe weather.
Do not touch electrically-conductive surfaces. Metal surfaces in your car are dangerous if you're driving in very close proximity to lightning, since metal conducts electricity easily (leading to electric shocks). If you're driving in very close proximity to lightning, it's best to pull over, activate the emergency blinkers, turn off the car, and keep your hands in your lap until the storm is a safe distance away. Electrically-conductive surfaces include door handles, window handles, gear shifts, the car radio, and even the steering wheel. Do not lean against the door of your car.
Use caution after the storm lets up. Even after the storm has moved on, the roads may still be dangerous and unsuitable for driving—there may be debris or standing water on the streets and the roads will undoubtedly be slippery. Be prepared to drive slowly or find alternate routes, just as you would during the storm.
Handling Driving Emergencies
Stay calm if you hydroplane. If your car begins to hydroplane, don't accelerate or slam on the brakes—just slowly ease up on the accelerator and gently steer yourself back into the proper direction (pulling too hard on the steering wheel may result in out-of-control skidding). Once you've gotten the car back under control, you can resume driving as normal, but try to drive slowly to avoid hydroplaning again.
Try to escape a tornado. Tornadoes can go hand-in-hand with thunderstorms sometimes, and a car is not a good place to hide from a tornado. If you hear a tornado siren or hear a tornado warning on the radio, try to drive away from the tornado and to a stable building, or even abandon your car to get to a safe building if necessary. If there are no suitable buildings nearby, pull over (but do not park under a bridge or overhang) and keep your seatbelt on. Duck your head underneath the windows, and use your hands (and preferably a cushion or blanket) to cover your head.
Take cover if it begins hailing. If it begins hailing while you're driving, try to find something to park your car under, even if it's just an overhang. (If one is unavailable, face your car towards the hail, as the windshield is stronger than the other windows.) Lie down on the floor of your car if you can, and keep your back to the windows. Pulling something such as a blanket over you will help keep hail or other objects from hitting you, should the window break. Cover your eyes, as well as the eyes of small children. Don't park under trees or power lines (as the hail may knock them down) or in ditches (as water may fill the ditch).
React appropriately to a downed power line. If you see that a power line has fallen, even if it hasn't landed directly on the road, treat it as though it's active. Do not drive over a fallen power line, and try to keep as much distance from the power line as you possibly can. Avoid exiting the car until you are a safe distance away from the power lines. If the power line lands on your car, do not attempt to exit your car unless the car is on fire. Avoid touching the interior of the car (and instruct all passengers to do the same), and use a cell phone to call emergency services.
Act quickly if you end up in deep water. If you've misjudged the depth of water and ended up stuck, turn on your emergency flashers while trying to restart your engine. If the car restarts normally, then find a shallower part of the water and drive out of the flooded area, then find a safe place to inspect the car for damage. However, do not try to repeatedly force your engine to restart if it doesn't work the first time—this will damage the engine. Be aware that water can end up entering your car's engine, fuel line, or exhaust pipe, especially if it's deep. It's possible your car may stop working. In this case, find a safe moment to exit the car and seek higher ground (even if it's just climbing onto your car roof if safe). However, if it isn't possible to escape through a door or window, call emergency services or yell to someone nearby for help. To avoid this situation when driving, do not drive through water that's more than 9.8 inches (25 cm) deep, try to avoid roads that you know have dips, and drive slowly when driving into water, as water can conceal dips in the road.
Know how to drive in muddy conditions. If you end up on a dirt road that's been softened by the rain, briefly get out of your car and make sure the mud isn't too soft to drive through. Put your car into four-wheel drive mode (if applicable) and drive slowly into the mud. Try to avoid driving in someone else's tracks, since the deeper tracks can make it easier for you to get stuck. Keep in mind that if you get stuck, you may have to dig your car out, which is not something you want to be doing in a thunderstorm.
Follow proper procedure in case of a car accident. If you get into a wreck with another driver, pull over to a safe place if possible and call the police to alert them of the accident. Ensure the safety of both yourself and the other driver before exiting your car to talk to the police or the other driver. Stay in the car when possible, due to both the adverse weather and the risk of being injured by another car passing by. If you see someone who has crashed, pull over a safe distance away from the accident and call emergency services. However, only get out of your car to help the people involved if doing so won't endanger anyone. Stay near the scene and encourage the driver to turn off their car if the crash is minor, to reduce a risk of fire.
Get your car repaired if it has suffered damage in the storm. While you can often remove debris that's lodged in your exhaust pipe or grill, if your car has actually been damaged by the storm, you'll need to get your car repaired as soon as possible. Keeping photos of your car prior to the storm is often helpful to prove that the damage wasn't already there. Whether or not car insurance covers the damage to your car depends on your insurance company and what insurance packages you have. Be extremely careful if glass has shattered in your car to avoid injuring yourself, and make sure other passengers don't touch it.
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