The Three Best Tips for Driving in Heavy Rainfall
This Summer (2026), Dallas-Fort Worth experienced the second-longest rainless streak in the areas recorded history. The streak ended on September 20 when the area was pounded for hours by extremely heavy rainfall that immediately drenched highways and turned normal driving conditions into white-knuckled driving for every driver on the road. A family shared with us their experience on the drive back to DFW from Arkansas in this storm. Their main takeaway: “Please remind people how to drive in the rain, because there were so many unnecessary small (and major) accidents.” So, now that rain is back in the area, here are three critical things to remember when driving in torrential rain:
Keep it slow. It only takes a small amount of water on the road to hydroplane. Keep your speed well below the limit when the rain gets heavy to avoid the danger altogether. Even when the rain lets up, stay cautious; the roads can still be very dangerous. Dry skies do not always mean dry roads. It’s important to be vigilant here because hydroplaning can happen instantaneously, and it can land your car on the side of the road, in a ditch, or worse. A good general of thumb is keep your speed 30-35 MPH below the speed limit on the highway in heavy rain. However, if you ever feel unsafe, slow down even more or pull off the road until the rain passes. Being on time to where you’re going is not worth risking your life or the lives of others in your car.
Turn on your hazards in heavy rainfall. This seems like common sense, but for various reasons people can feel like it’s unnecessary to turn their hazards on or that it calls unwanted attention their car (especially if only a few other cars have them on). However, your safety is worth it. Your hazards do two very important things: First, they warn other drivers behind you that conditions really are bad so they should slow down. Second, and more importantly, your hazard lights make it a lot easier for other drivers to see you when heavy sheets of rain are covering their windshields. Break lights can get blurred in heavy rain making it unclear which lane they’re coming from, but the continual flash of hazards helps other drivers know for certain your car is in front of them or in the lane near them.
Pump your breaks and turn into skids. This is one of the oldest rules in the books, but as the family mentioned above told us, far too many people don’t adhere it. It led to cars facing the wrong way on the road, cars in ditches, and cars in medians all down the highway. So, as a reminder, don't slam your breaks when you feel the your car may be losing traction in heavy rain. Pump your breaks consistently while staying calm. And if your car does start to lose control, always turn into the direction the car is naturally skidding.
These three tips are absolutely essential to remember when driving in heavy rain. They are skipped far often and it can lead to disastrous consequences. So follow these and stay safe in heavy rainfall on the roads!