Is it really dangerous to be in the shower while there is a thunderstorm outside?

Question

I've heard that if you're in the shower while there's a thunderstorm outside, you'll get struck by lightning even though you're inside. Is this true?

Answer 1

aparently so

Answer 2

Assuming you are showering indoors and are enclosed, you cannot at all be directly hit by a bolt of lightning. Your surroundings, and quite possibly you, will act as the "grounding" of the electrical current. The lightning will follow the most condusive and closest path to "ground." If you are not touching any of the enclosure (except for the floor) then the electrical energy would have to "bounce" from the surroundings it initially struck to you. This is highly unlikely because air has a very high resistance. The resistance of the material used in your surroundings (ie.. wall, roof) will be much lower and will cause the lightning to follow that path to "ground."
If you are holding on to something, such as the metal handle of the faucet, then there is a good chance some of the electrical energy will find its way through your body to "ground," in which case, YES, you can be affected by lightning while in the shower.
Is it enough to kill you? Absolutely. Is it very likely? Heck no. There are MANY other objects that create a shorter and more condusive path to ground than your house, your shower and you. For example a strike will more readily occur in telephone or electrical poles, your neighbors satellite dish or TV antenna, the 60 foot high oak tree outside your window, etc..

Your answer, ultimately, is no it is not dangerous. The probability is just not high enough.

Ethan: Thanks for supplying some cold hard facts. That truly shows the almost negligible odds of being struck by lightning. Now imagine, of all the places you could be, what are the chances you would be in the shower? lol..
Thanks for the support too.

Answer 3

Effective as grounding is, if lightning strikes close enough, the fearsome current involved--anywhere from 10,000 to 200,000 amperes--can defeat even the most reliable protection measures. That means parental advice about staying off the phone, out of the shower, and so on during lightning storms is still worth heeding.

Answer 4

It's happened at least once that someone was electrocuted while talking on the phone during a lightning strike. The odds are literally one in a million against it. (Probably more)

If that's possible, it's possible in the shower, too.

However, you should put that in context with other risks. I'm more worried about buckling my seatbelt in my car. Car crashes kill 40,000 people every year in the USA alone. That's far, far more dangerous than any lightning strike.

Answer 5

Chris_s hit the nail on the head with his final statement. (that's my vote) The odds really don't warrant a second thought.

300,000,000 people in the US. On average, only 67 people die each year as a direct result of lightning - - *TOTAL*.

I have yet to read a single, credible account of anyone getting killed or even injured by lightning while taking a shower.

Answer 6

If there's lightning, true. Water can carry an electrical charge if the house is struck by lightning.

Answer 7

that is extra risky yea yet i ought to take the prospect nevertheless if i had to bypass yoodling or something. We had a foul guy contained in the community who were given struck by employing lightning on a splendidly sparkling day , no clue how - no rain no cloud in sight - the guy became even sweeping contained in the driveway of a church.

Answer 8

I'm guessing that we don't have to worry about that one, and I'm willing to take a shower during a thunderstorm if you will.

Answer 9

I think the only danger would be if the shower was outside.