Flash Floods and Traffic Tangles

When a sudden storm pounded Northern Virginia this afternoon, I was among many people caught in it while on the road. 

As I drove along Lawyers Road in Oakton, not far from the intersection of Hunter Mill Road, it quickly became apparent that I needed to get to higher ground. The road was flooding fast with huge puddles of water and a couple of times an enormous amount of water splashed onto the windshield. My small, aging car was just not going to be able to hold up. 

All of a sudden, I arrived at a section of the road that was completely covered in water. It looked about a foot deep, possibly more in certain sections. I quickly turned onto a side street, parked and tried to wait out the storm.

While I waited, I took a video and some photos of the flash flood on Lawyers Road. It was amazing how fast the water was moving. But what I was surprised to see was how many people were driving through the water. Even small cars were wading into the fast-moving water. Over the course of about 15 minutes, dozens of cars passed through. I only saw a handful turn around.

The drivers of those cars—and their passengers—took a big chance. Just one foot of water is enough to send vehicles (even SUVs) off the road, the National Weather Service says. Not too far away from where this flash flood occured, firefighters had to . And on the financial side of things, if water gets up the tailpipe of a car it can cause some expensive problems.

I understand that it's not always easy to make decisions about whether to proceed or go while one is in the moment, though. Would you have pulled over or continued on your way home? Have you ever gotten stuck in a flash flood?