The Scary Reason You Should Never Shower During a Thunderstorm
Hurricane Erin is bearing down on much of the U.S. right now, causing heavy rains, rip tides, and severe thunderstorms. Of course, you know with weather like this to keep out of the ocean, bring your outdoor furniture inside, and roll up your car windows. But just because you’re hunkering down inside, doesn’t mean you’re immune to a storm. In fact, experts say that showering during a thunderstorm can have potentially fatal consequences.
RELATED: 39 Facts About Storms That Will Make You Run for Cover.
Experts warn not to shower during a thunderstorm.
At one time or another, you’ve probably been warned not to shower during a storm. But if you’ve assumed this is nothing but an old wives’ tale, you might want to rethink that.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns Americans that it is not safe to take a shower or bath during a thunderstorm.
The problem isn’t the thunder or the rain, but the lightning that goes along with it. For reference, lightning can occur without thunder, but not the other way around.
“Lightning is a discharge of electricity. A single stroke of lightning can heat the air around it to 30,000°C (54,000°F),” explains the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). “This extreme heating causes the air to expand explosively fast. The expansion creates a shock wave that turns into a booming sound wave, known as thunder.”
But why is showering during a storm a safety risk? According to the CDC, it all boils down to the fact that lightning can reach you indoors.
“Lightning can travel through plumbing,” the agency explains.
Most plumbing systems utilize metal pipes, which can “serve as a conduit for electrical current,” Jeffrey A. Andresen, PhD, professor of geography, environment, and spatial sciences at Michigan State University, explained to Health. If lightning strikes a water pipe or even nearby, the electricity can be drawn through the pipe and potentially electrocute you if you are showering.
The CDC doesn’t advise trying your luck even if you don’t have metal pipes for your plumbing: “The risk of lightning traveling through plumbing might be less with plastic pipes than with metal pipes. However, it is best to avoid any contact with plumbing and running water during a lightning storm to reduce your risk of being struck.”
You shouldn’t run any water during a thunderstorm.
During a thunderstorm, it’s not only the shower you need to be concerned about. “It is best to avoid all water during a thunderstorm. Do not shower, bathe, wash dishes, or wash your hands,” the CDC urges.
As AccuWeather explains, this is because if lightning strikes your home, it can also travel through electrical wires that could be connected to your washing machine or dishwasher. And, of course, if you’re washing dishes by hand, it can also travel through those water pipes and reach you.
RELATED: 9 Dangerous Things You Should Never Do During a Thunderstorm.
Getting struck by lightning can be fatal.
The National Weather Service estimates that lightning strikes about 300 people in the U.S. each year, with roughly 80 people dying as a result.
Lightning-based deaths “most commonly [occur] because of a heart attack,” the agency explains. “Other lightning injuries include blunt trauma, neurological syndromes that are usually temporary, muscle injuries, eye injuries (‘lightning-induced cataract’), skin lesions, and burns.”
Your home and other enclosed buildings are considered “safe shelter” during a storm, but it’s not impossible to get struck by lightning while you’re inside. The CDC says about “one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors,” and certain activities can increase that risk—like taking a shower.