Taking a bath or shower during a lightning storm is unsafe. Lightning’s powerful electrical current can transmit through a home’s plumbing system, posing a risk of electric shock. This danger extends to any activity involving contact with water connected to plumbing during a thunderstorm.
How Lightning Enters Homes
Lightning, a powerful electrical discharge, seeks the easiest path to the ground. This path often includes conductive materials connecting the outside environment to a home’s interior. Lightning can enter a structure through a direct strike, via wires or pipes extending outside, or through the ground itself. Once inside, its electrical energy can travel through electrical wiring, telephone lines, cable lines, and especially its plumbing systems.
Plumbing, often composed of metal pipes, creates a direct conductive pathway for lightning to enter a building. Even homes with plastic pipes are not entirely safe, as the water itself contains dissolved minerals and salts that can conduct electricity. A ground strike near a house can also send a current through the ground, which then enters the home via metal wires or rebar within concrete walls or flooring. This network of conductors means that while a home offers significant protection from a direct strike, it does not make occupants entirely immune to lightning’s effects.
Activities to Avoid During a Storm
Because lightning can infiltrate a home, certain indoor activities are hazardous during a thunderstorm. Avoid any contact with plumbing or running water, such as bathing, showering, or washing dishes. The electrical current can easily travel through pipes and water, potentially leading to an electric shock. For example, a lightning strike near a home could send a current through the plumbing, exiting through a faucet or showerhead and shocking anyone in contact with the water.
Beyond water-related activities, avoid using corded phones, as lightning can travel through telephone lines. Touching or using electrical equipment connected to outlets, such as computers, televisions, washing machines, or other appliances, is risky because lightning can surge through electrical systems. Also, avoid lying on concrete floors or leaning against concrete walls, as these can contain metal elements that conduct electricity.
Broader Indoor Safety Tips
For overall indoor safety during a lightning storm, several measures are recommended. Stay away from windows and doors, as these areas can still pose a risk if lightning strikes nearby. Remaining inside a substantial building with plumbing and electricity is generally the safest place to be.
Once thunder is heard, lightning is close enough to strike, so seek shelter immediately. Even after the storm appears to have passed, danger can linger. Wait at least 30 minutes after hearing the last rumble of thunder before resuming normal activities or going outside. This waiting period accounts for lightning striking miles away from the storm’s center, even when skies appear clear.