Thunderstorms Moving Across OKC, State

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thunderstorms swept across Oklahoma City and central Oklahoma Wednesday afternoon.

Heavy rain began falling around 1 p.m. in the metro. There was also lots of lightning, thunder, strong winds and hail in some areas.

There have been no signs of tornadoes. 

Now would be a good time to review severe weather safety precautions given the relatively low amount of severe weather in our area so far this spring.

While tornadoes can affect Oklahoma any time of the year, the most likely time for tornadoes to develop in the state is during the month of May.

AAA also offers these severe weather driving tips:

• When driving in wet-weather conditions, it is important to concentrate fully on every aspect of driving. Avoiding cruise control will allow the driver more options to choose from when responding to a potential loss-of-traction situation, thus maximizing your safety.
• Slowing down during wet weather driving can be critical to reducing a car's chance of hydroplaning, when the tires rise up on a film of water. With as little as 1/12 inch of water on the road, tires have to displace a gallon of water per second to keep the rubber meeting the road. Drivers should reduce their speed to correspond to the amount of water on the roadway. At speeds as low as 35 mph, new tires can still lose some contact with the roadway.
• To reduce chances of hydroplaning, drivers should slow down, avoid hard braking or turning sharply and drive in the tracks of the vehicle ahead of you. Also, it's important for motorists to allow ample stopping distance between cars by increasing the following distance of the vehicle in front of them and beginning to slow down to stop for intersections, turns and other traffic early.

Stay with News9, we'll keep you advised.