Is showering during a thunderstorm actually dangerous or an old wives’ tale?
When a thunderstorm rolls in, it’s important to seek cover and stay indoors until it blows over. You may decide to fill this time with chores, reading, your favorite show, or be tempted to take a long, relaxing shower. However, you might want to reconsider spa time. Below, we answer the age-old question of whether it’s actually dangerous to shower in a thunderstorm, plus provide ways to reduce risks.
Is It Dangerous to Shower During a Storm?
According to the CDC, it is dangerous to shower during thunderstorms. In fact, they say you should avoid all water during thunderstorms, including showering, bathing, washing dishes, and even washing your hands.1
This is because water is a conductor, so any contact with water naturally raises your risk of being struck by lightning. And, no, you aren’t protected from a lightning strike just because you’re inside, as the CDC estimates that one-third of all lightning strikes occur indoors.2
Lightning Can Travel Through Plumbing
Your home’s plumbing elevates your lightning strike risk during a thunderstorm. If your home or the close surroundings were to be struck by lightning, that electricity would take the path of least resistance. This means the lightning will travel through the most conductive material, which, in this case, is your home’s wiring and any metal plumbing. Lightning can even travel through metal reinforcements inside of concrete flooring and walls, so it’s best not to make contact with these surfaces if possible.
How to Reduce the Risk
It has long been discussed that, as most modern homes feature plastic plumbing, the risk of being struck by lightning while showering during a thunderstorm is no longer valid. However, plastic plumbing or not, you’re still making contact with water, which increases your risk of being struck by lightning.
Additionally, it can be hard to confirm that your home has purely plastic plumbing, unless you build the house yourself. Your PVC or PEX plumbing likely ties into a metal water supply line, and the electricity can travel through the water in the pipes.
Best Practices for Staying Safe During Lightning
To prioritize your safety during a thunderstorm, follow these tips for lowering your risk of lightning strikes.
- Avoid contact with water. Thunderstorms rarely last more than 30 to 60 minutes, and the window in which you’re in danger of a lightning strike is often even less. Even if you’re in a hurry, avoid showering, bathing, washing dishes, or completing any other task that requires contact with water.
- Go to the lowest level. Lightning most often strikes the highest point of a structure, so it’s best to remain on the lowest floor possible during a thunderstorm. Plus, lower levels offer more safety during windy conditions, which are common during thunderstorms.
- Stay away from windows and doors. Lightning striking near windows and doors can shatter glass, increasing the risk of injury to anyone nearby. Additionally, standing near windows and doors during thunderstorms is generally unadvised, as it’s best to head to a central part of the home to avoid flying debris.
- Refrain from using wired electronics. As mentioned above, lightning has the potential to travel through your home’s wiring, which can damage your wired appliances and pose a safety risk to anyone using the device. It doesn’t even have to strike your home directly, as it can reach your home via attached power lines.
- Avoid corded phones. Just like wired electronics, corded phones carry the same risk of lightning conduction, so it’s best to limit your contact with them, unless necessary for an emergency contact.
- Avoid contact with concrete surfaces. Concrete surfaces are rarely composed of pure concrete. If they are, it was likely installed incorrectly, as concrete relies on the structural integrity of metal rebar to give it more strength. Rebar, like other metals, is a powerful conductor, so concrete surfaces should be avoided during thunderstorms.
