Intense Storm Brings Heavy Rain, Thunderstorms, And Tornadoes To SoCal

Advice on driving in the rain:

• Check weather and road conditions all along your planned route
• Slow down
• Keep a wider-than-usual distance between your vehicle and the one in front
• Don't drive through standing water — as little as 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars, and two feet can carry away SUVs and trucks.
• Make sure tires are fully inflated
• Check windshield wiper blades and replace if necessary

Read more: What You Should Do If You End Up Driving In A Flooded Area

You should be safe indoors during a lightning storm, but there are still dangers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one-third of lightning-strike injuries actually occur indoors. Here are some tips from the agency to keep you safe at home:

• Avoid water. Don't bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have any other contact with water during a thunderstorm because lightning can travel through a building’s plumbing.
• Don’t touch electronic equipment. Don't use anything connected to an electrical outlet, such as computers, laptops, game systems, washers, dryers, or stoves. Lightning can travel through electrical systems, radio and television reception systems, and any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring. Surge protectors can help avoid this.
• Avoid windows, doors, porches, and concrete. Don't lie on concrete floors or lean on concrete walls during a thunderstorm because lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.
• Don’t use phones with cords. It is safe to use cordless or cellular phones during a storm.

It's best to avoid the outdoors entirely during thunder and lightning storms. — hence the phrase “When thunder roars, go indoors.” If you can't get inside a building, staying in a hard-top vehicle with the windows rolled up works too.

But if you can't avoid being outside, here are some safety tips:

• Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, or peaks.
• Never lie flat on the ground. Crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked and hands over your ears so that you are down low with minimal contact with the ground.
• Never shelter under an isolated tree. If you are in a forest, shelter near lower trees.
• Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.
• Immediately get out of and away from ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water.
• Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (such as barbed wire fences, power lines, or windmills).
• Separate from others. This will reduce the number of injuries if lightning strikes the ground.
• If you are out in the open water and a storm rolls in, return to shore immediately. If caught in a storm in a small boat with no cabin, drop anchor and get as low as possible.
• Don’t stay in open structures.Avoid open structures such as porches, gazebos, baseball dugouts, and sports arenas. These structures won’t protect you from lightning.
• Stay away from open spaces such as golf courses, parks, playgrounds, ponds, lakes, swimming pools, and beaches. Seek shelter immediately.
• Stay away from tall structures, such as telephone poles and trees; lightning tends to strike the tallest object around.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Here are additional tips from the American Red Cross in both English and Spanish:

• Thunderstorm Safety Checklist - English

• Thunderstorm Safety Checklist - Spanish

• Watch for traffic signals that may be out. Approach those intersections as four-way stops.
• Make sure you have a battery-operated radio and flashlights. Check the batteries to make sure they are fresh. Use flashlights for lighting during a power outage; do not use candles because they may pose a significant fire hazard.
• If you’re in a vehicle with a fallen power line on it, stay in the vehicle and remain calm until help arrives. It is OK to use your cellphone to call 911. If you must leave the vehicle, remember to exit away from downed power lines and exit by jumping from the vehicle and landing with both feet together. You must not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Then proceed away from the vehicle by shuffling and not picking up your feet until you are several yards away. 
• Water and electricity don’t mix. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Do not step in or enter any water that a downed power line may be touching.
• Do not use any equipment inside that is designed for outdoor heating or cooking. Such equipment can emit carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.
• If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into it, using a heavy-duty extension cord. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates “backfeed,” which is dangerous to repair crews.
• Leave the doors of your refrigerator and freezer closed to keep food as fresh as possible. Place blocks of ice inside to help keep food cold. Check food carefully for signs of spoilage. 
• Check on your neighbors to make sure everyone is safe.

State law requires residential units to have heating systems that can keep indoor temperatures at a minimum of 70 degrees. That means every dwelling unit and guest room offered for rent or lease should offer heating equipment, usually central air conditioning (A/C) or a wall heater. — Caitlin Hernández

Use heat smartly to save money: Cranking things like the A/C and wall heaters can be expensive. If money is tight, be judicious about how and when you use your utilities. For example, only use heaters at night or only set the thermostat to around 70 degrees.

Open and close those vents: If you have central A/C, look at where the vents are around your home. Are any open in places where you don’t stay long? Practice opening and closing those so warm air only goes where you need it (most vents should have a small toggle lever). Humidifiers can also help you warm things up — and it’s useful to add moisture into our dry air.

Adjust your wall heaters: If you have a wall heater, you can change the output by adjusting the knob (usually at the bottom). Since wall heaters can only warm the areas where they’re placed, it’s essential to close doors to rooms you won’t be in so hot air doesn’t get wasted.

Turn on your ceiling fan (really): If you have a ceiling fan, try turning it on. This sounds counterintuitive, but there’s science behind it. The direction a fan turns can push air in different directions, and since hot air floats up, you’ll want to move that around. Your fan should spin clockwise to create an updraft to circulate. Not all fans will have this option, though.

Here's what you need to know when storms hit Southern California:

• Tips To Stay Prepared For The Next LA Storm
• Mudslides Can Be Dangerous And Destructive. This Is How You Can Prepare
• Storms Can Bring Lots Of Water — But Much Of It Winds Up In The Ocean
• Your Guide To Driving Safely In The Rain In LA (And Really Anywhere)
• How LA County Prepares For Massive Rainfall — Like The Storm Hitting Us Now
• Flash Flood Warnings? Watches? Here’s What You Need To Know
• Why Atmospheric Rivers Can Be A Blessing And A Curse