Our post topic of today – driving tips for flooded roads -may not be a primary interest of concern in Northern California in late July. Of course we are still in the thick of our incredibly hot, dry summer, but interspersed with all the news reports regarding our drought conditions, another weather related topic has been getting a lot of press: the expected El Nino this fall/winter. If you listen to some meteorological experts, we can expect a huge deluge of rain this year. And in Sacramento and Elk Grove, that translates into flooded streets.
The flooded streets of Sacramento can be dangerous. Many times, drivers believe they can forge on through a flooded street but it actually takes very little standing water to cause loss of control of your vehicle. Being unable to control the vehicle means you could end up in the path of oncoming traffic or off the roadway. If the flood water is moving, that adds another element of treachery – it takes as little as six inches of active flood water to actually push your vehicle. With two feet of water on the roads, a vehicle can actually float. Not only is losing control of your vehicle very dangerous, that amount of water can cause a lot of damage to the vehicle itself.