[dropcap size=big]I[/dropcap]t rained again in Los Angeles today. On Sunday (May 19) there will be more. Although we’re in the middle of May, chances are it might rain again before Spring is officially over, after we had the wettest winter in decades in 2018-2019. If you despise May Gray and June Gloom as much as I do, expect your mood to be slightly sour until summer really hits sometime in July.
With climate change and the looming global environmental apocalypse, our weather in California will become more stark: long, cold, relatively rainier winters and springs, followed by a pendulum swing of long, hot, dry summers and autumns. And more wildfires. More storms and more smoke.
Rain, in this scenario, should no longer be considered an anomaly against the breeziness of L.A. living, but a permanent part of life. Every “It never rains in L.A.” cliché is officially retired. Besides dampening moods, rainfall also increases traffic collisions, according to CHP figures, and can be deadly for pedestrians and people in other cars. So ... how do you drive in it safely?
This is a serious question, and we posed it to Officer Kevin Tao of the California Highway Patrol. Reached at the agency’s Glendale station, Tao offered some reminders to L.A. drivers about the rules of driving in the rain, and how to avoid collisions or worse in inclement weather.
This is your L.A. Taco Guide, duh, to driving in the rain in Los Angeles.