Lightning is a powerful and unpredictable natural phenomenon. A common question concerns the safety of being near or in a swimming pool when lightning is present. Understanding the dangers associated with a lightning strike near a pool is crucial for ensuring safety.
Understanding the Risk
Water is an effective conductor of electricity, especially pool water due to dissolved minerals and chemicals. When lightning, which can carry millions of volts and thousands of amperes, strikes a pool, its electrical charge rapidly disperses. The current spreads radially outward across the water’s surface, creating a dangerous electrified zone. While intensity diminishes with distance, it can still pose a severe electrocution risk over a significant area.
The human body is an excellent conductor, making anyone in the water vulnerable to electrocution. Contact with electrified water can lead to immediate and severe consequences, including burns, cardiac arrest, muscle paralysis, and even death. Risk severity depends on factors like proximity to the strike and pool size, which influences current dissipation.
Beyond direct strikes, lightning poses danger through indirect pathways. Conductive materials commonly found around pools, such as metal ladders, handrails, and plumbing, can transmit electrical current. Even if lightning strikes the ground nearby, the charge can travel through the earth (ground current) or interconnected underground pipes and wiring, energizing the pool water or surrounding structures. Indoor pools are not entirely immune, as lightning can travel through a building’s electrical and plumbing systems, making any water source hazardous.
Protecting Yourself and Others
The primary rule for lightning safety around pools is “when thunder roars, go indoors.” If thunder is heard, lightning is close enough to pose a threat, even if the sky appears clear. At the first sign of a storm, including thunder, visible lightning flashes, or darkening clouds, immediately evacuate the pool and surrounding areas. There is no safe place in the water during an electrical storm.
After evacuating the pool area, seek sturdy, enclosed shelter. A house or substantial building provides adequate protection, unlike open-sided structures such as sheds, gazebos, or carports, which offer minimal safety. Remaining outdoors under trees or in open fields is not advised, as these locations increase the risk of being struck.
During a thunderstorm, avoid contact with plumbing and electrical systems inside a building. This includes refraining from showering, bathing, or using corded phones, as lightning can travel through pipes and wiring, causing electrical surges. After the last rumble of thunder or flash of lightning, wait at least 30 minutes before returning to outdoor activities or the pool. This waiting period ensures the storm has moved a sufficient distance away.