You're driving home after a day of hard rain. Up ahead, the road dips, and the dip is full of brown water.

The pickup in front of you rolls right through it. Looks fine. It's only a few inches. You're tired, and home is five minutes away.

This is the moment a lot of people get it wrong.

Turn around. Every time.

Here's what the National Weather Service says. Six inches of moving water can knock a grown man off his feet. A foot of water can float most cars. Two feet of rushing water can carry off most vehicles, pickups and SUVs included.

And you can't see what's under it. The road may already be washed out. Find another way home, or pull over somewhere high and wait it out. Be extra careful at night, when you can't tell how deep it is.

If water starts rising around your car, get out and get to higher ground, if you can do it safely. If water is coming inside the car, climb onto the roof and call 911.

If a flash flood warning comes for your area, move to higher ground right away. Don't wait to be told twice. Flash floods can come in minutes.

If you're trapped in the house, go to the highest floor. Don't climb into a closed attic, where rising water can trap you.

Stay out of floodwater on foot. It can hide downed power lines and sharp debris, and it's often full of sewage.

They follow the truck in front.

That truck is heavier than your car and sits higher off the road. And the road under the water can give way after he's crossed it. His luck says nothing about yours.

Two things. Fifteen minutes.

First, learn your low spots. Think about the roads near you that flood when it rains hard. Pick a second way home that stays high.

Second, look up your address on FEMA's flood map. Go to msc.fema.gov and type in your address. It will tell you if your home is in a flood zone. Plenty of folks are, and don't know it.

Got a question, or a lesson from your own life? Hit reply. I read every one.

See you next time.

— Cole