Yikes! Close call.
I think the people I spoke to on Saturday who still went out, probably think they were making a rational decision, and because nothing happened, they probably think they were right, and they'll do it again.

Given the exact same circumstances I'd still get off the water. I think I'll also make sure I listen to NOAA radio weather before I launch. Usually I just checking the web page before I leave ( I think this report is updated at 2 am and 8 am. I'm usually on the water by 6. ) In Southern California, the weather is pretty much the same, but when it storms it's almost random where it actually happens.

Seems to me if you're on the water and a meteorologist says a storm is coming but the experienced coach says no way--get off the water.
Or if the experienced coach says get off the water and the meteorologist says, naw--- get off the water.
If weather-optimists are wrong--you could die. If the 'worrier' is wrong, you miss out on paddling, but you can always go again another day.

And always consider what they're going to say at the funeral.... What a dummy, paddling in a thunderstorm.

W

: I know the mindset. Back early when I was learning to paddle, I was
: with two coaches and another client, who happened to be a
: meteorologist. We're paddling out the inlet and there's this
: huge black cloud coming down behind us. I mentioned maybe we
: wanted to take out at some beach houses on the point. The
: weather guy says yes, that is a wall cloud, or shelf cloud, I
: can't recall. He let's on as how the wind is probably blowing 50
: under it. The lead coach says no, it'll pass behind us,
: following the coast, let's go on out. Well we got on down by the
: point, the cloud is right on our tails, I said I'm getting out
: and getting under those houses, and headed for the rocks. They
: came on and followed. Ten minutes later we're standing under
: these houses watching the sea blown to a froth as Thor himself
: hurled bolt after bolt down all across the field we would have
: been paddling. Hairs standing up on the arms, squatting now
: under the houses standing on the balls of my feet on my
: sprayskirt. No one came down from the houses with any TP for us
: either.

: Sometimes ya just gotta call it off. It was right pretty after the
: storm though.