The Bay Area feels safe — that’s a problem

And that’s what makes it dangerous.

Flash floods just killed more than 145 people and left 102 missing in Texas. In New York, torrential rains swamped subway stations. In Massachusetts, highways disappeared under a wall of water.

Here? Fog in the morning, sun around noon, windy in the afternoon. We can thank our region’s invisible umbrella, a high-pressure system known as the North Pacific High.

It parks over the Pacific each summer, pushing storms north and giving us precious dry stretches to enjoy picnics in the park, Giants games without rain delays and long, cool evenings.

Yet the same climate forces that give us benign summers are shifting.

Warmer air holds more moisture, so when storms do crash through, they can dump far more rain than they would have 50 or 100 years ago. The tragic irony is that our summer sanctuary makes us less prepared for the intensifying threats of wildfire season and the inevitable return of atmospheric rivers.

Heavy precipitation events are projected to increase by 50% to as much as three times the historical average by the end of this century. Climate change hasn’t created new storms. It’s making them bigger. Warmer oceans and air accelerate evaporation and therefore cloud formation. At higher temperatures, the air can hold more moisture, leading to an increase in intense rainfall.

When storms stall — as they increasingly do in a warming world with weakened jet streams — they can unleash months’ worth of rain in hours. In the Texas Hill Country, the equivalent of four months’ worth of rain fell in a few hours, with the highest rain totals reaching 20.33 inches.

So with rising threats, what can you do now to get prepared for a warmer, wetter future?

Know your zones: Download the Genasys Protect app and find your evacuation zone at protect.genasys.com — the system used by most Bay Area counties for real-time evacuation alerts. FEMA’s official flood maps miss dangerous flash flood risks, often by a factor of more than two.

But don’t stop there.

Visit FloodFactor.com and type in your address to get your property’s 1-10 flood risk score based on climate change projections and the kind of urban flooding (called pluvial flooding) that happens when heavy rains overwhelm storm drains — exactly what just paralyzed Massachusetts highways.

Stay connected: Keep emergency apps updated and notifications enabled. Sign up for SMC Alert, the county’s primary alert and warning system used to contact you during urgent or emergency situations which may include life safety, fire, weather, accidents involving utilities or roads or disaster notifications. Follow local emergency management accounts on social media. Have multiple ways to receive warnings.

Prepare for whatever comes: The same go-bag that serves you in a wildfire evacuation works for flooding. Water, food that doesn’t spoil, flashlights, battery packs, important documents in waterproof containers and cash.

Practice “Turn Around, Don’t Drown”: Never drive through flooded roads. Just 6 inches of rushing water can knock over an adult and 12 inches can carry away most cars.

The families grieving in Texas, Massachusetts, and New York remind us that extreme weather recognizes no boundaries — geographic, economic or political. Their tragedy should sharpen our focus here in paradise, where perfect summer weather can lull us into thinking we’re immune to nature’s growing fury.

As we head deeper into wildfire season, let their losses motivate us to strengthen our own preparedness. Check your emergency supplies. Review your evacuation plans. Practice situational awareness even when — especially when — the skies are impossibly blue.

Because when the waters rise, seconds matter, preparation saves lives and no high-pressure system lasts forever.

David Canepa is the president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.