You've probably heard your grandmother shout it from the kitchen the moment a dark cloud rolls in: "Get out of the shower!" It sounds like one of those old wives' tales, right? Like eating carrots gives you night vision or swallowing watermelon seeds grows a fruit patch in your stomach. Honestly, it feels a bit dramatic. You’re inside. You're safe. The house has a roof. But here’s the thing—grandma was actually right.
Is it bad to shower during a thunderstorm? Yeah, it actually is. It isn't just a superstition passed down through generations of overprotective parents. It’s basic physics. While the odds of getting zapped while scrubbing your hair are statistically low, the mechanism for it to happen is perfectly designed by your home’s plumbing. Lightning is looking for the path of least resistance to the ground. Your metal pipes and the water inside them are basically a VIP highway for an electrical discharge.
The Science of the "Zap"
Lightning is an incredible, terrifying amount of electricity. We are talking about a bolt that can contain up to a billion volts of electricity. When it hits a house, it doesn't just disappear. It looks for conductors.
Most people think of lightning hitting a person directly in an open field. That’s the classic Golf Channel nightmare. But in a residential setting, lightning often strikes the roof, a chimney, or a nearby utility pole. Once it hits the structure, it travels through the wiring or—you guessed it—the pipes.
Metal pipes are excellent conductors. Even if you have PEX or PVC plastic piping, the water itself is loaded with impurities (minerals and ions) that conduct electricity quite well. If you are standing in a tub or under a showerhead, you are effectively becoming part of that circuit. You are the bridge between the plumbing and the drain.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is pretty blunt about this. They explicitly advise staying away from all plumbing—including sinks, baths, and showers—during a storm. It’s not just the shower, either. Doing the dishes or washing your hands can carry the same risk.
Real Cases and Expert Warnings
John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist formerly with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has spent years trying to convince people that "indoor" doesn't always mean "invincible." He often points out that while lightning-related injuries in showers aren't a daily occurrence, they are documented.
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Take a moment to think about the path. Lightning strikes a pole near your house. The current travels through the ground and hitches a ride on your water main. It enters the house, goes up the riser, and pops out the showerhead. If you’re under that water, the current passes through your body to reach the metal drain.
It’s a freak accident. But it’s a preventable one.
Mary Ann Cooper, M.D., a retired emergency physician and a leading expert on lightning injuries, has noted that indoor lightning injuries account for roughly 10% to 15% of all lightning casualties in the United States. That is a significant enough number to make you reconsider that relaxing evening soak when the sky starts rumbling. These injuries range from localized burns to cardiac arrest or neurological damage. It’s not always fatal, but it is always traumatic.
The Myth of the "Safe" Modern Home
A lot of folks think modern construction protects them. "I have plastic pipes," they say. "I'm safe."
Not necessarily.
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While PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) is a poor conductor compared to copper, the water inside the pipes remains a conductor. Furthermore, many homes have a mix of materials. Your interior might be plastic, but your main line coming from the street could be old-school metal. Plus, the shower valve itself is usually metal. Electricity is jumpy. It can leap from a conductor to a human body through a process called a side flash.
Then there’s the issue of the water heater. If your water heater is struck or if the electrical surge travels through the house wiring to the heater, that energy is transferred directly into the water supply. It’s a giant conductive loop.
- Concrete floors: Don't lay on them. They often have metal rebar or wire mesh inside.
- Corded phones: Old school, but they’re a direct line to the outside.
- Appliances: Toasters, computers, and anything plugged into the wall.
What About "Heat Lightning"?
You’ve seen it. Those faint flashes on a hot summer night without a drop of rain or a peep of thunder. People call it heat lightning.
The truth? There is no such thing as "heat lightning."
What you’re seeing is just a regular thunderstorm that is too far away for you to hear the thunder. Light travels much further than sound. However, storms move fast. If you can see the flashes, the storm is close enough to potentially reach you within minutes. If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance. The "30-30 rule" used to be the gold standard: if you hear thunder within 30 seconds of a flash, go inside; wait 30 minutes after the last clap to come out. Nowadays, safety experts say keep it simpler: "When thunder roars, go indoors." And stay out of the bathroom.
Why Risk It?
Is the risk high? No. You are more likely to slip on a banana peel or win a small-town raffle than you are to get struck by lightning in your shower. But unlike those things, the shower risk is something you can completely control.
Why take a 1-in-a-million chance for the sake of being clean twenty minutes earlier?
The physics are undeniable. Lightning seeks the ground. Your plumbing is a path to the ground. You are a conductive bag of salt water standing in the middle of that path.
Actionable Safety Steps
Since we've established that the shower isn't the place to be, here is how you should actually handle a storm to keep your risk at zero.
Check the forecast before jumping in. If there is a 70% chance of severe storms, maybe don't start a 30-minute deep-conditioning treatment right when the sky turns that weird shade of green.
Unplug sensitive electronics. Surge protectors are great for small spikes, but a direct lightning strike will fry a surge protector like a piece of bacon. If a storm is overhead, unplug the laptop and the expensive espresso machine.
Wait it out. The standard recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is to wait 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder before resuming activities that involve water or corded electricity.
Identify your pipes. If you are curious, look at the plumbing under your kitchen sink or in your basement. If you see copper or galvanized steel, you're at a higher risk than a home with full PVC/PEX. Regardless of the material, the "no shower" rule still applies to be 100% safe.
Stay away from windows. It sounds cinematic to watch a storm, but glass can shatter if the house is struck, and metal window frames are another potential conductor.
The bottom line is that while it feels like a low-probability event, the consequences are severe enough that every major safety organization—from the Red Cross to the NWS—agrees. If it’s thundering, stay out of the shower. Just wait the thirty minutes. You'll be just as clean, and a whole lot safer.