Is It Ok To Shower During A Thunderstorm?
Showering in the rain may seem like one of the most romantic things ever, isn’t it? While showering in the rain may still seem like a good option but, in a thunderstorm? I would not suggest that.
There is barely any rain without a thunderstorm, and y’all keep asking if is it ok to shower during a thunderstorm. It is not. In fact, it is one of the most unsafe things to do. There is nothing more risky than taking a shower when it is badly thundering outside.
If you still want to give it a try, let me just tell you that you are at a high risk of getting an electric shock if the lightning strikes your building and moves through your metal plumbing.
And trust me, a lightning shock that travels through water is fatal. There is no chance for you to be safe after enduring a shock of that level.
In this article, we shall discuss how unsafe is it to shower during a thunderstorm and why you should avoid it at all costs.
Is It Ok To Shower During A Thunderstorm Safely?
If you feel like you are safe from the lightning and thunderstorm outside because you are inside your house, you are pretty wrong. And if you feel like you are safe enough to take a shower while it is thundering, you are shockingly delusional.
In no way are you safe, even when you are inside the four walls of your house. During raging thunderstorms, lightning can easily strike your house and travel through the plumbing to strike you really badly. This may still happen when you have plastic pipes in your house. This is because water is a great conductor of electricity. Therefore, the rate at which the lightning may strike you amplifies when you are in direct contact with water.
“The current can easily travel along those pipes, and when it’s looking for a way out at the end of the line, it can jump and strike a person from the showerhead or faucet,” says Dr. Christopher Bazzoli, FAWM, MD, DiMM.
This theory is also applicable when you are washing dishes, bathing, or simply washing your clothes. Anything that has a direct contact with water is considered unsafe to do during a thunderstorm.
“The good news is that conduction strikes in a home are typically far less severe than strikes outside because electricity needs to travel farther and has more opportunities to divide and dissipate in other directions when you’re inside,” he further adds.
What Would Happen If Lightning Strikes Your House?
As per the nature of lightning, when it strikes your house, it would follow the path of least resistance. This means it will travel through all those electrical lines or pipelines trying to reach a destination. This means it is extremely unsafe for you to interact with anything that is plugged into your wall.
When it comes to taking a shower, it is a big no-no!
Water itself is a great conductor of electricity. Therefore, it will allow the thunder to travel even more and faster.
“When thunder roars, go indoors and hangout with a book or engage in an activity that’s not connecting you to electrical and plumbing systems,” advises Dr. Bazzoli.
Is It Ok To Shower During A Storm?
To keep yourself safe, do not take a shower for approximately thirty minutes after the last thunder roll that you hear.
“The most dangerous times for a lightning strike are immediately before and immediately after the storm,” says Dr. Bazzoli. “Lightning strikes can commonly extend 10 miles out from a thundercloud. So, if you’re able to hear thunder, you’re still within that strike distance.”
How Can A Lightning Strike Affect You?
“In taking the path of least resistance, openings and orifices like your eyes, ears and mouth are easier entryways for lightning to travel through than going through a thick bone like your skull,”
Dr. Bazzoli suggests.
This could cause an injury to the eyes, mouth, and ears more normally when a lightning strikes you. And, you may be struck directly or indirectly by lightning if you are in contact with an object or a surface that is struck by lightning. This is the reason why you would not lie down when it is storming outside, as that would increase the surface area that you are in contact with. Hence, it would increase the likeliness of the shock traveling through you.
What Are The Injuries That Lighting May Cause?
If lightning ever strikes you, here are the injuries that you may experience:
- Respiratory arrest
- Cardiac arrest
- Nerve damage which may lead to many long term effects like memory difficulties, seizure disorder, personality changes, sleep disturbances, and paresthesia.
- Tissue burns
- Cataracts, vision loss, internal ocular bleeding, and retinal detachments.
- Blown eardrums and hearing loss.
Lightning also has the tendency to heat up the air it passes by more than 27,760 Degrees. This is five times hotter in comparison to the surface of the sun. Therefore, it is no wonder that all of these injuries are generally severe.
“Sometimes, a lightning strike can have so much current that if you’re wet, it may vaporize the liquid on your skin into steam and superheat it, which can lead to steam burns,”
states Dr. Bazzoli.
What Else To Avoid During A Thunderstorm?
Other than showering, there are many other things that you must avoid doing while it is thunderstorming outside. These activities may include:
Being by the windows: try to stay away from doors or windows. It is best for you to stay in an inner room on a low level.
Being outdoors: it is always the best to stay inside during a thunderstorm. If at all you are outside, make sure you are in a safe shelter.
Using electric outlets: try not to use any electrical outlets like your computer or TV.
Standing under the tree: it is never safe to stand under a tree when it is thundering. Heavy storms may result in its branches to fall off.
The Bottom Line
I hope you have an answer to “is it ok to shower during a thunderstorm ?”
It is the most unsafe thing that you can do when it is thundering outside. So make sure that you are on your couch reading a book or going through your phone when the weather goes bad. Stay as far as you can from the water or the walls, or your electricals when it is storming or thundering outside.
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