Most people are aware of basic thunderstorm safety precautions, such as avoiding standing near trees or windows and not using a corded phone (mobile phones are safe). But did you know that during a thunderstorm, you should avoid taking a shower, bathing, or doing the dishes? To understand why you must first understand how thunderstorms and lightning work.
While the likelihood of being struck by lightning is low, it is critical to understand how to stay safe during a thunderstorm. Every year, approximately 24,000 people are killed by lightning and another 240,000 are injured.
A thunderstorm thrives on two basic elements: moisture and rising warm air, both of which are associated with summer. High temperatures and humidity produce a large amount of moist air, which rises into the atmosphere and can form a thunderstorm.
Clouds contain millions of water and ice droplets, and their interaction is what causes lightning to form. Rising water drops collide with falling ice drops, imparting a negative charge on them while leaving them with a positive charge.
Clouds act as massive Van de Graaff generators in a thunderstorm, separating positive and negative charges to create massive charge separations within the clouds. As thunderclouds pass over the Earth, they generate an opposite charge in the ground, which attracts a lightning strike. The thunderstorm is attempting to balance its charges by discharging between positive and negative regions. Because the path of this discharge is usually the one with the least resistance, more conductive materials (such as metal) are more likely to be struck during a storm.
When thunder roars, going indoors, is the best thunderstorm advice. This does not, however, mean that you are completely safe from the storm. Some activities inside can be just as dangerous as staying outside in the storm.
You're extremely unlikely to be struck by lightning unless you're sitting in a bath outside or showering in the rain. However, if lightning strikes your home, the electricity will travel to the ground via the path of least resistance. Metal wires or water in your pipes provide an easy conductive path for electricity to follow to the ground. Because the shower contains both of these elements (water and metal), it is an ideal path for the electricity to take. It has the potential to turn that nice relaxing shower into something far less relaxing. To reduce your risk of a lightning strike, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly advises people to avoid all water-based activities during a thunderstorm, including washing up.
Another danger to be aware of during a thunderstorm Leaning on a concrete wall is one that may not appear obvious. While concrete is not particularly conducive to lightning, if it has been reinforced with metal beams (known as "rebar"), these can provide a conductive path for the lightning. Also, avoid using anything that is plugged into an electrical outlet (computers, televisions, washing machines, and dishwashers), as all of these can provide pathways for the lightning strike to take.
If you can hear thunder in the distance, you're close enough to the storm for lightning to strike you, even if there's no rain. Lightning strikes can occur up to ten miles from the parent storm.
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