Whether or not you should drive through a storm is a complicated question. It would be important to know what kind of storm you are dealing with – is there a potential for tornadoes, hail, flash flooding, or blinding rain? If so, I would suggest leaving your car and taking shelter in a substantial building. Do not take shelter in your car under an overpass – you increase your risk for being a victim of flash flooding, blocking traffic and causing an accident, and you also increase your risk from being injured by flying debris from strong winds or tornadoes. Be aware of your surroundings – the weather, routes to safety, sturdy shelter – these are all things that will contribute to your safety. If you know there is potential for thunderstorms, you can listen to the radio to find out where they are, how quickly they are moving, and what risks are involved. Based on this information, you can take appropriate precautions to protect yourself. NOAA Weather Radio is a valuable tool that provides constant weather information and would be helpful in your decision making.

Many hazardous weather events are associated with thunderstorms. Fortunately, the area affected by any one of them is fairly small and, most of the time, the damage is fairly light. Lightning is responsible for many fires around the world each year, as well as causing deaths when people are struck. Under the right conditions, rainfall from thunderstorms causes flash flooding, which can change small creeks into dangerous raging water in a matter of minutes, washing away large boulders and most man-made structures. Hail up to the size of softballs damages cars and windows, and kills wildlife caught out in the open. Strong (up to more than 120 mph) straight-line winds associated with thunderstorms knock down trees and power lines. In one storm in Canada in 1991, an area of forest approximately 10 miles wide and 50 miles long was blown down. Tornadoes (with winds up to about 300 mph) can destroy all but the best-built man-made structures.