I remember hearing about this in school when I was little and it scared me to death. Never shower when there’s a thunderstorm or you could die another kid told me.
Ouch that’s a traumatic moment for a kid for sure.
At that point I was even scared if it was simply raining out. As it turns out my parents learned the same thing as children so little did I know that my mom waited for thunderstorms to pass before she gave me a shower and to this day I never do anything around running water when there’s a thunderstorm.
The funny thing is while talking with some colleagues, only a few had ever heard about this so it got me wondering if it’s just an urban myth that stuck with me like things do from childhood.
Well, as it turns out, it’s all true and it has to do with lightening strikes running through water pipes.
According to the website Medical News Today, just like we stay out of the pool, the ocean, or any of body of water when there’s lightening and thunder as well as the golf course because of the metal clubs, the same goes for showering.
Believe it or not, one out of every three lightning strike injures someone who’s inside and that can include getting shocked while you’re in the shower or using running water.
If lightning strikes a building, it may travel through the plumbing. Showering during a thunderstorm may increase a person’s risk of electrocution. This risk is greater with metal pipes than plastic pipes, but it is still best to avoid using any plumbing system or running water during a thunderstorm.
Yes, according to the CDC this includes washing dishes or even your hands. Just stay away from water in general as a precaution because lightening strikes can travel some 10 miles through pipes.
Now, according to the CDC there’s no evidence that anyone has ever died from a lightening strike while showering however we all know what a simple shock feels like. If you ask me it’s not worth taking the chance with a lightening strike that ventures into my plumbing.
