Cycling in harsh weather is "Type II fun." If you spend a season outside, you're going to get all sorts of weather. (After a week or two of a severe heat wave, you will welcome the first good thunderstorm.)

Clothing is important, but experience is more so. I've learned not to try to keep myself dry. Wet and warm works fine, with the right clothing. But keeping packed sleeping insulation dry is critical.

I've found a limit of four days of constant rain, after which I start to look for a way to dry out. That could be a laundromat, a half hour of sunshine, a blazing fire, or the home of a kind stranger or WS host. Others will have different limits.

About fifteen years ago I started using single wall shelters, which makes setting up in pouring rain easier. And I no longer carry a stove, so meals in harsh weather are easier.

Unless I'm cycling in alpine terrain above tree line, I don't get too freaked out by lightning. If I absolutely need to take shelter in open terrain, I'll pitch my tent, sit on my insulated sleeping pad, and take the time to eat and rest. Tornadoes certainly bear a close watch, but that's easier to do now with weather apps on phones.

Keep in mind the need to maintain your machine after days of cycling in the rain.