Here's what to know about why you should skip shower time if there's a thunderstorm going on outsideand what you can do instead. According to the National Weather Service, lightning strikes about 300 people in the United States each year. March 22, 2018. Lightning can be especially dangerous. What Exactly Are Snow Fleas and Do They Bite? Even if you dont see rain, you could still be at risk for a lightning strike. The National Weather Service has identified June, July and Augustas peak months for lightning activity across the country. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests. A thunderstorm is the perfect excuse to stay inside all day, but it doesn't mean you have to cancel your plans. Know how the COVID-19 pandemic can affect disaster preparedness and recovery, and what you can do to keep yourself and others safe. Lightning can travel through plumbing. Showering in a storm is perfectly safe, as long as your house is wired correctly Share Tennis live scores Keep across all the live scores and results from the Australian Open at Melbourne Park 1 / 2 Showering in a storm is perfectly safe, as long as your house is wired correctly Posted Mon 12 Feb 2018 at 12:17am, updated Mon 12 Feb 2018 at 12:42am Nicholas Kman, MD, an emergency medicine physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center said that if you did happen to shower during a thunderstorm and lightning struck, you could be at risk of: Joseph Dwyer, Ph.D., a professor of physics at the University of New Hampshire, agreed. "People need to stay away from all plumbing in their home during a thunderstorm," Peters said. Shutterstock. Does Makeup With Skin Care Benefits Really Work? We normally close the outdoor poor for safety reasons regarding lightning striking someone directly, or striking the water. When I got to the last dish to wash, I filled up the sink and right when I put my hands in the water, lightning struck the McDonalds and the Bank across the street, she told TODAY Home over the phone. Lightning is the natural spark discharge that occurs within the atmosphere and is the thing that can kill or cause harm. Campsite restrooms are a good choice for shelter; if you're on water, head to shore immediately. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties. There's plenty you can do at home that you were planning to do elsewhere especially when it comes to the kitchen. For example, the Empire State Building is hit by lightning about 23 times a year. Once you pass what she calls the survival test (as in, you survived) be sure to monitor your symptoms. Natural disasters and severe weather. Here are some outdoor safety tips that can help you avoid being struck. Nottingham Trent University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK. Thunder, on the other hand, is the product of that. "If lightning strikes a home directly or enters the building through the wiring, plumbing, or landline phone wire, the electricity will follow a path of least resistance through the wires or plumbing to reach the ground," Peters explainedand sometimes you can get in the way of that path. So the next time a thunderstorm comes your way, dont panic. But some storms start while people are showering . The agency advises that during a thunderstorm, it's best to stay away from plumbing and faucets. 2018. A lot of pipes used in household plumbing are metal, and that metal is irresistible to a bolt of electricity. Always check the weather before starting outdoor activities. The lightning is trying to find a path to the ground, said Jeffrey Peters, severe weather program coordinator and lightning safety expert at National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). So the next time theres a thunderstorm, the best thing you can do is go inside immediately. Lightning is basically a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the. If there if you feel that you are processing thoughts differently or more slowly than usual, cognitive therapy may help. Thats because getting struck by lightning is rare and dying from it is even rarer. Lightning is a large spark of electricity. Lightning can strike the same place twice. In addition to avoiding water usage, its recommended to avoid other indoor activities like: Electrical wires, like plumbing, can conduct electricity from a lightning strike. For instance, most lightning strikes occur in the summer months, especially July, during the afternoon and evening. Always see a doctor about loss of sensation. The Doctors answer a viewer question about whether taking a shower or doing the dishes during a lightning storm can possibly result in an injury. Avoid plumbing; do NOT wash your hands, take a shower, or wash dishes. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. Last medically reviewed on August 29, 2021. If you hear thunder outside, those dirty dishes can wait. There are other risks to look out for during a thunderstorm. To stay safe inside a building, do the following: No. While the chances of lightning traveling through plumbing is greater with metal pipes than plastic pipes, its still important to avoid all water sources. So, basically, showering in a thunderstorm leaves you open to a double-whammy of electricity that can travel through your pipes and the water in it to shock you while you're just trying to clean up. Learn indoor and outdoor safety tips to protect yourself and your loved ones from lightning. Here's What Experts Say, What To Do if You Hit Your Head, and When To Seek Treatment. Doing the dishes or even using faucets proves dangerous, too. "It doesn't matter if you've got metal of not.". But a cordless home phone or a mobile are completely safe. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. According to Jeffrey Peters, a Severe Weather Program Coordinator from the National Weather Service (NWS), the "old wives' tale" is actually true. Water is a conductor of electricity, and it is possible for you to be electrocuted while in the shower if lightning should strike nearby. An excellent excuse to skip doing the dishes during a dark and stormy night! "They might've had, for example, instead of full metal pipes, there may've been a plastic section so that way the water pipes were not earthed properly and he could've got a shock that way. Cell phones and cordless phones are safe to use during a thunderstorm if they are not connected to an outlet through a charger. A weather alert radio can help keep you informed about storms. When you purchase through our links we may earn a commission. Mostly, the answer is yes. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Martin Barraud/Getty Images/sytilin/ThinkStock. "If you are extremely unlucky and in contact with some of the plumbing or other metal in your home and lightning strikes, you could be seriously injured, or worse, as electricity passes through the metal," Anderson said. However, it is estimatedthat about 180 people are injured each year due to lightning. Things such as metal wires or water in your pipes provide a convenient conductive path for the electricity to follow to the ground. Avoid using corded phones (wireless handheld devices are OK, says the National Weather Service) and doing the dishes or laundry, since lightning can travel through metal plumbing fixtures. To understand why, you first need to know a bit about how thunderstorms and lightning work. Its also worth noting from the organization that your chance of getting struck by lightning is low less than 1 in a million. Lightning victims DO NOT carry an electrical charge and you will NOT be electrocuted by touching someone who has been struck. You shouldn't use your sink, wash your hands, or do the dishes either. So when there is thunder, there is lightning, and when you hear it, it's time to go inside. However, using water will increase your risk. What other indoor activities should I avoid? But if lightning strikes your house, the electricity would follow the path of least resistance to the ground. The shower provides both of those things (water and metal), making it an ideal path for the electricity to take. The study, which looked at deaths occurring from 2006-2016, identified the outdoor activities most commonly associated with lightning deaths. Seek safe shelter first. Any plumbing in your house is vulnerable to a lightning strike. If lightning were to strike your house, or even close by, the electrical current could travel through your home using the wiring or pipes. After all, we all know water conducts electricity. This will significantly diminish the probability that you will be electrocuted if your house is struck by lightning. 2014. Here are some tips to keep safe and reduce your risk of being struck by lightning while indoors. About one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors. But, as we said earlier, with more than a dozen people getting hurt each year, it's not the biggest threat. Stay away from electrical equipment or cords, including corded phones. What should I do if I am inside during a thunderstorm? For instance, a plane getting hit by lightning generally isn't really that big of a deal although pilots aren't crazy and do try to avoid thunderstorms, planes are built to safely conduct currents [source: NOAA]. For more information, visit the Lightning First Aid Recommendationswebpage. This includes devices like: According to the CDC, its safe to use cell phones during a thunderstorm. Health.com uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Males are four times more likely than females to be struck by lightning. If youre outside when a thunderstorm begins, heres what you can do to stay safe: Its unsafe to shower during a thunderstorm. And not just theoretically dangerous; we're talking 10 to 20 people in the U.S. a year suffer injuries while messing around with household water during a storm [source: O'Connor ]. According to Jeffery Peters, the Lightning Expert for NOAAs National Weather Service, If there are thunderstorms in the area and lightning were to hit your home, lightning tends to either follow the wiring in your home or it can follow the plumbing, as it goes toward the ground. Immediately call 911 for help. We know the saying, when a thunderstorm roars, go indoors! but when you get inside, there are still some thunderstorm rules to follow, and that includes not showering. "If you can hear thunder, then you are close enough to the storm to have lightning reach your location, even though it may not be raining at your home," Peters said. The thunderstorm wants to balance its charges, and it does this by discharging between positive and negative regions. Most people are familiar with basic thunderstorm safety, such as avoiding standing under trees or near a window, and not speaking on a corded phone (mobile phones are safe). You might have a higher risk if you work outside or live in certain parts of the country, such as Florida or Texas. Aug. 15, 2006. National Center for Environmental Health. Our editor completed a hands-on review of their products and reputation. When we were younger, we blindly accepted the lesson that you should never shower during a thunderstorm. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. We avoid using tertiary references. How to Survive a Storm in the Middle of the Woods. The list of things to avoid? Is Dopamine Fasting a Way to Fix Your Brain or a Silicon Valley Fad? Her writing has appeared in Thought Catalog, The List, Drink Me Magazine, the Auburn Examiner, and Litro Magazine in the United Kingdom. Immediately get out of and away from ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water. 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