No, you should not shower when it’s lightning and you can hear thunder nearby. It’s not super common to be hurt this way, but the risk is real enough that major health and safety agencies say to avoid showers, baths, and other running water during a thunderstorm.

Why showering during lightning is risky

When lightning hits near or on a building, the electrical current looks for the easiest paths to travel. Plumbing and wiring are two of those paths.

  • Water conducts electricity, especially with minerals and impurities in normal tap water.
  • Metal pipes are excellent conductors, so if lightning energy gets into that system, it can move along the pipes into showers, faucets, and drains.
  • Even with plastic pipes, the water itself and wet surfaces can still carry some current, so the risk is lower but not zero.

If you’re in the shower, you are wet, often barefoot, and directly touching water and sometimes metal fixtures, which all increase the chance and severity of shock if lightning current comes through the system.

What official guidance says

Several major organizations have very clear lightning FAQs and safety pages that address this exact question.

  • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explicitly says it is not safe to shower or bathe during a thunderstorm because lightning can travel through plumbing, and recommends avoiding all water until the storm passes.
  • The National Weather Service and related lightning safety campaigns warn against using showers, baths, or washing dishes when thunder is audible, since lightning can travel through pipes into your home.
  • Hospital and emergency-physician sources (like Cleveland Clinic and other health systems) also advise waiting to shower and note that lightning current traveling through plumbing can cause severe shock or burns.

So this isn’t just an “old myth” from grandparents; it’s now standard modern safety advice.

How long to wait to shower

Experts generally connect safety to when you can still hear thunder.

  • If you can hear thunder, lightning is close enough to be a threat.
  • Many safety recommendations say to wait at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder before resuming water-based activities like showering, bathing, or washing dishes.
  • Lightning can strike 10 miles or more from the storm cloud, meaning danger can exist just before and just after the main part of the storm passes.

Using a rule-of-thumb: if thunder has been silent for half an hour, the risk is much lower, and showering is generally considered safe again.

What to avoid (besides showers)

During an active thunderstorm when thunder is audible, safety guidance usually suggests avoiding:

  • Showers, baths, hot tubs, and any running water from sinks or hoses (because of plumbing).
  • Handling corded phones connected to wall jacks (lightning can travel through phone lines).
  • Touching or working directly with wired electronics that are plugged in, to reduce risk from power surges through wiring.

Safer options while you wait out the storm include wireless devices not plugged into chargers, reading, or other activities away from water and large metal or wired systems.

Quick TL;DR

  • Can you shower when it’s lightning? You can , physically, but you shouldn’t ; it’s unsafe enough that major health and safety agencies advise against it whenever thunder is audible.
  • Why? Lightning can travel through plumbing (pipes, water, fixtures) and potentially shock someone in the shower.
  • What to do instead? Wait until at least 30 minutes after the last thunder before showering, and avoid all running water during the storm.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.