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Aster's avatar

Do you know anyone who has died in the shower when it was lightning outside?

Asked by Aster (20028points) June 25th, 2019

I read a warning about this recently and thought I’d ask on here.

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

9 Answers

Dutchess_III's avatar

I have not.

Yellowdog's avatar

I was just thinking about this the other day,

I have heard this all my life (to this point) and even deterred people from doing it. But not in fifty years have I known this to ever actually happen, or seen it on the news, or heard of it actually happening. I call it a sham.

jca2's avatar

I haven’t, but I am cautious and if I am taking a shower during a thunderstorm, I make sure the window in the bathroom is closed.

stanleybmanly's avatar

Closing the window is useless beyond keeping out the rain or muffling the thunder. The great threat in the shower is from lightning seeking the ground through the plumbing lines. If you happen to be in the shower when this occurs, you are certainly in for a shock, but are probably better off than if you were the tallest thing in an open field. Those water and sewage lines are much better conductors than you and much better grounded. In fact in many houses the electrical circuits are grounded to copper or galvanized water lines.

Yellowdog's avatar

Suffice it to say, perhaps, yes it could happen. But never has. Or even if it has, the chances of it happening rounds to zero.

During a lightening storm, it is also possible to get struck by lightening in your home, or strike a nearby tree and kill you while sleeping. You are more likely to die from a blowout or head-on collision.

But since it IS possible and risk can be prevented, why take chances?

Dutchess_III's avatar

My now ex and I felt lightening pass through our bodies while we were standing in the living room once. It was freaky as hell.

Dutchess_III's avatar

According to this you shouldn’t wash dishes either, and not use the landline phone if you still have one.

MrGrimm888's avatar

My father’s great aunt,or some other relative, was allegedly struck dead in a shower. This was probably a 30 year old story, when I heard it as a boy. I can’t remember any other details. Honestly, I can’t verify the cause of death, or really much else. She was alive, when she got in the shower. The house shook from thunder, and she was found dead…

LadyMarissa's avatar

It wasn’t in the shower; however, my next door neighbor was taking a tub bath when a thunderstorm approached. He wasn’t scared & continued with his bath. He heard lightening strike in his back yard & at the exact same moment, a ball of fire ran around the tub at the water level. He freaked & jumped out of the tub. While drying off so he could get dressed, he noticed that ALL the hair on his body below the water level had become non-existent & above the water level was just as it was before. He didn’t die, but the hair that disappeared never grew back!!!

IF my weather app indicates a thunderstorm is imminent, I try to adjust my schedule so I’m not taking a shower when it’s due to arrive. I also don’t run & jump in the shower when I hear a thunderstorm moving in…at the same time, I also don’t get out of the shower iF one arrives while I’m taking a shower.

According tothe Indiana Public Media

Let’s start by reviewing the basics. When lightning strikes, the electrical current follows the path of least resistance down to the ground. This means that, given the chance, the current will jump from a worse conductor to a better conductor.

And if you happen to be the best conductor around, that current will go right through you. That’s why lightning rods are so important: they provide the current with an easy and safe route to the ground.

Metal is a good conductor, so if lightning strikes an unprotected house, chances are the current will travel through any metal pipes. What’s more, the tap water moving in these pipes contains impurities that help the water conduct electrical current.

When you’re wet, the natural resistance of your body is cut by half, and the salt and contaminants on your skin decrease your resistance further. So basically, being wet can make the difference between an unpleasant electrical shock and a deadly one.

Now, even though plastic pipes are insulated, and therefore, poor conductors of electricity, you should still avoid showering during a thunderstorm. After all, you never know where the plastic pipes hook up with metal fixtures.

Your house may contain a metal frame, metal air conditioning and heating systems, metal ducts, and so on. So, why take unnecessary risks? Stay safe and wait to shower until after the storm.

The odds of being struck by lightening is 576,000 to 1, so i don’t think about it often & I also don’t believe in tempting fate. I tend to err on the side of caution!!!

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