Closing an Indoor Pool due to Thunder and Lightning?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Is there really a risk to swimmers in an indoor pool?  I'm assuming through the windows?

[Mrs Mungo]

Yes, lightning can come through glass and shock everyone in the pool.

[Parrothead]

I had no idea that could happen, Mrs. M.

[mamaraby]

My YMCA has this rule, but they say it's because the pool is not properly grounded.

[Χά�ων]

I never knew this.

[GSOchristie]

I read about this this summer because we had so many thunderstorms. I was afraid to give my kids baths, and I read that it was not a myth, electricity can come through pipes. Also, if you hear thunder, there is lightening in the area, even if you can't see it. I will try to find the article.

[Mrs Mungo]

I was a lifeguard in Oklahoma. Part of the training.

[GSOchristie]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/15/health/15real.html?_r=0

[Jean in Newcastle]

I learn something new every day!  

[Parrothead]

Wow. I've showered during thunderstorms and not thought twice about it. I suppose I won't be doing that anymore.

[Seasider]

Yes, it is typical for the natatoriums I've used to close in stormy weather.

[Chocolate Rose]

Hey, Jean, aren't the thunderstorms we're having this year awesome?? And that "tropical rain storm" we had last Thursday? I'm still hoping we get the big rain storm tonight that they've been predicting.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I feel like I'm back in the midwest.  What happened to our depressing drizzle?!

[MyThreeSons]

My YMCA has this rule, but they say it's because the pool is not properly grounded.

Here is a great explanation, taken from this site: http://www.sportrisk.com/2011/04/11/the-lightning-debate/

 

Conduits (electrical, gas, water, sewer, phone, recirculation system) can carry the electrical charge of lightning and distribute it elsewhere. Building design can mitigate this factor by bonding and grounding the pool. However, electrical bonding and grounding is designed for manmade voltage gone astray and most strikes, while the larger lightning strikes can be 25,000 to 50,000 amps, 2 million volts and over 50,000 degrees F. The risks are high with lightning of this magnitude and scale as it may not take the path of least resistance (as usual), rendering bonding and grounding ineffective.

 

I get out of any water as soon as I hear thunder.

[MyThreeSons]

Interestingly, I also found this article, which takes the opposite stance:

 

http://www.aquaticsintl.com/safety/when-lightning-strikes.aspx

 

I see some inconsistencies in this article, though. In particular, note how it says that people who are evacuated from an indoor pool often go to the locker room, where they are subject to danger while showering. I don't understand how the building could be constructed in a way that would make the pool itself protected, but leave other parts of the building susceptible.

[happi duck]

My mom taught us not to bathe during a storm.

 

I've also heard not to use the phone...I'm assuming corded...though I haven't thought to verify this.

[ChristusG]

Yep, we never bathe during a lightning storm. Nor swim.

[Sisyphus]

I love to take baths on Friday nights, and it never fails to thunderstorm. I thought the whole thing was a myth, but one night I googled, and yep, it's true. So now that I know for sure it's dangerous, I can't do it. Before I could just plead ignorance!

[KungFuPanda]

In high school, a friend's dad lost hearing in one ear because the phone got zapped in a storm. Until then I never knew it was possible. I did know to turn the TV off.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My mom always has wondered if she was hit by lightning or not.  She was on a porch and fainted just as lightning struck.  But her dad had had his arm around her and she wasn't sure if she was hit by the lightning or if his arm had tightened in response to the strike, cutting off her air for a second.  There wasn't anything wrong with her.  

[Muttichen]

Years ago, I asked a swim coach about this and she told me that once, before practice started, lightning hit a transformer or something outside and the coaches on the pool deck saw the water in the pool jump as the current went through.  Thankfully, no one was in the pool at the time.  After that they didn't mess around with lightning!

[Susan C.]

We've been hit twice, in two different states! When the kids were on swim team (indoor pool) they didn't get them out, but I was there and made them get out...

 

We have had so many storms this summer, and its been crazy working showers around them.

[gardenmom5]

Also, if you hear thunder, there is lightening in the area, even if you can't see it. I will try to find the article.

the heat generated by lightening going through cold air is what makes the thunder.  so if there's thunder, there's lightening.

 

Hey, Jean, aren't the thunderstorms we're having this year awesome?? And that "tropical rain storm" we had last Thursday? I'm still hoping we get the big rain storm tonight that they've been predicting.

why?  dh was in Lynnwood for a seminar.  he asked me to check traffic reports - almost everything was black. all the freeways and highways.  what wasn't black was red or yellow.  Everett had 1" of rain in 30 minutes.

 

I feel like I'm back in the midwest.  What happened to our depressing drizzle?!

the house isn't shaking.  but it is more like a Midwest storm than we've had in ages.

 

I've also heard not to use the phone...I'm assuming corded...though I haven't thought to verify this.

don't know about cordless - but definitely not a corded phone.   also not supposed to use electronics.  says the person sitting here watching the lightening and typing on the laptop . . . .

[gardenmom5]

tomorrow may be a great day to go out to Snoqualmie falls. . . . . (glad I bought myself a good quality waterproof jacket today.)  . kiro has a pic of a stairwell in the parking garage at bell square that is a waterfall.

two people have been hit by lightening today.

[Jean in Newcastle]

tomorrow may be a great day to go out to Snoqualmie falls. . . . . (glad I bought myself a good quality waterproof jacket today.)  . kiro has a pic of a stairwell in the parking garage at bell square that is a waterfall.

two people have been hit by lightening today.

Really? Two people?  I haven't heard the news.

 

I have a terrified dog next to me at the moment.  She has her tight life-jacket on serving as a "thundershirt".  She's taken her melatonin.  She was crated.  She was hurling herself around her crate so much that we were afraid that she'd hurt herself.  Dd11 is all wound up too - she just came out of her room again and it is 11:20 pm.  Fortunately the other dog and cat are a bit wound up but not freaked out.  And ds and dh are quite calm!  I really really hope that I can get some sleep tonight.  

[Melissa in Australia]

I knew someone whose best friend's mother was killed by lightning while she was talking on the phone.

[MyThreeSons]

I've also heard not to use the phone...I'm assuming corded...though I haven't thought to verify this.

Several years ago, there was a lightning strike near our home -- several hundred feet away. Among the damage we received as the current traveled through the ground was a destroyed phone in one of the bedrooms. The cord into the phone was melted. The plastic junction box where the phone line comes into the house literally exploded -- we found pieces of plastic over twenty feet away.

 

The scariest part, though, was that the main gas line running underground in front of our house had a hole blown in it. There was literally natural gas coming up through the dirt. Our street was blocked off and we had to stay inside all day. We had no utilities all day because they had all been zapped, too, but those companies' workers couldn't do anything until they got the gas leak taken care of. It was a very long day.

[magnificent_baby]

A friend of my relative was thrown into the wall behind him when he was on the computer and the house was hit by lightning. I now unplug my laptop when it's storming.

 

 

[MyThreeSons]

In high school, a friend's dad lost hearing in one ear because the phone got zapped in a storm. Until then I never knew it was possible. I did know to turn the TV off.

I don't think turning off a TV or computer is any help -- if the cord is still plugged in, a surge can still get through. Unplugging it would prevent that, but as my brother once pointed out, there is danger to you in that split second while you are disconnecting the cord.

 

Valuable electric devices ought to be plugged into a high-quality surge protector. During the strike I mentioned in another post, we had several items that were plugged into surge protectors and suffered no damage at all. We lost several devices that weren't protected.

[Wildcat]

I never thought about indoor pools, but I knew that lightning could travel through pipes, so I hate having to wash my hands or use the toilet during storms!

 

I remember watching the news with my mother one night when I was a kid, and we lived close to Tampa (the lightning capital of the world, I believe). We had had a bad storm that day, and the news reported some poor man was taken to the hospital after suffering burns on his bottom, and other injuries, after being struck by lightning while using the toilet. The lightning traveled up the pipes and exploded out the toilet (and the water conducted the bolt) and I guess it exploded, sending him crashing through the bathroom door and into the hallway.

 

My mother commented something to the effect of the poor man and how embarrassing for that to have been broadcast all over the news.

 

Thankfully, the internet wasn't around then, or it would have been worse!!

 

Also, a few years ago (now a few states away) a neighbor was 'zapped' while watching a storm from her living room. She was in front of the window, and the house took a hit. She got zapped causing some temproary nerve damage in her arm, and their entire electrical panel was fried and left burn marks all up the wall. :ohmy:

 

Another lightning story from the mid-80s..... a small storm (near Tampa again) came up while I was at my grandparents' house. Grandad was watching TV--- Bonanza--- I remember because of the 'trauma' of this story, I guess. Suddenly, the tube blew out and sparks flew from the wall plug and a black line started running up the wall. Lightning had hit. He lost the TV and had to have an electrician check out the wiring in the house and replace some at the outlet by the TV. He (the electrician) said he unplugged everything he could when not in use because of the damage from lightning. My mother heard that, and to this day runs around the house unplugging stuff at the first sign of lightning!

 

So, all that to say, I am not surprised about the indoor pool being closed.  I have a huge fear/respect for lightning.

 

[Wildcat]

My mom taught us not to bathe during a storm.

 

I've also heard not to use the phone...I'm assuming corded...though I haven't thought to verify this.

 

Our local weatheman says the only 'safe' phone is a cell phone because lightning can come in through a phone line and 'arc' over 100 feet, even going through walls, so just 'cordless' isn't even safe.

 

I always HATED having to answer the phone at work during storms. I totally freaked me out!!

 

I knew someone whose best friend's mother was killed by lightning while she was talking on the phone.

 

How terribly sad.

 

I don't think turning off a TV or computer is any help -- if the cord is still plugged in, a surge can still get through. Unplugging it would prevent that, but as my brother once pointed out, there is danger to you in that split second while you are disconnecting the cord.

 

Valuable electric devices ought to be plugged into a high-quality surge protector. During the strike I mentioned in another post, we had several items that were plugged into surge protectors and suffered no damage at all. We lost several devices that weren't protected.

 

We lost a computer, printer, and fax that was all plugged into a surge protector. It was later determined that the thing too so man hits, it was fried and we didn't know it. I don't trust those things.

 

 

To add to the stories in my previous post, my aunt & uncle just had to have their phones, computer, and roof-top TV antenna replaced for the third time because of lightning. They are in southern Ontario, Canada.

 

And the storm that 'zapped' my neighbor's arm through her window, frying her electrical panel took out our house alarm. It was fried, and the system thought the line had been cut, so even through it wasn't activated, it went off. We were in the middle of a "tornado emergency" and the stupid battery is 20 feet off the floor behind vehicles in the car, so we had to let it go... and go.. and go until it was safe for us to emerge from the closet and move the cars, grab the big ladder and get up there. It took a good 20 minutes to get up there to unplug the battery. The repairman gave me the *totally melted* motherboard to show dh. It was eye-opening!

[Chocolate Rose]

I feel like I'm back in the midwest.  What happened to our depressing drizzle?!

We just got normal rain and drizzle - no big storm.  :sad:

But, when I was in the shower this morning, I was definitely thinking about thunder storms. :smilielol5:

[sparrow]

Just agreeing with everyone else that I avoid pools, water, showers, phones etc. during thunderstorms. I also never do the dishes after reading about a man that was electrocuted by lightning coming through the kitchen window and hitting the sink.

[lllll]

..

[MommaOfalotta]

I read about this this summer because we had so many thunderstorms. I was afraid to give my kids baths, and I read that it was not a myth, electricity can come through pipes. Also, if you hear thunder, there is lightening in the area, even if you can't see it. I will try to find the article.

 

This. I still wont put my kids in the tub while its lightening/thundering. We have almost missed church because of this.

 

Now, as for myself? I go ahead and shower/bathe.. although sometimes it makes me a little nervous, I: A) gotta get my baths when I can and B) Like to live dangerously ;)

[emzhengjiu]

A woman in our area was struck by lightning while washing dishes in her kitchen about a year ago.  She was badly hurt, but thankfully not killed.  While I realize these incidents are rare, I'm not willing to take the chance whenever I don't have a compelling reason.

[Pretty in Pink]

When I was growing up we had to unplug everything, including the phone, at the first rumble of thunder. We weren't allowed near water, so no toilet, shower, or washing hands, and we weren't allowed near windows.

 

I saw a story last year about a girl that was struck by lightening on a cloudy day. She was outside with a friend on (in an open field of all places) and they heard thunder but it was miles away, so they stayed outside. My kids know to come inside as soon as they hear thunder. If someone absolutely *has* to potty during a storm I make them pee in the bathtub like my mother did to us. Is that safe??

 

Lightening scares me to no end. If I am out driving and a storm comes up, I won't leave my vehicle until the lightening passes. <shudders>

 

 

[AdamsFamily]

Several years ago, a fellow that worked with my dad was struck by lightning through the phone he was using to call a report in to their company.  He died.

 

I agree - no phones (except cell and even with those maybe not), no showers/baths, no pools.  I am even weary of washing my hands during a storm.

 

I once received a mild shock by holding an umbrella in a storm. 

[MyThreeSons]

Yeah -- the sheer amount of energy in a lightning bolt ought to inspire fear and wonder and respect. Don't mess with it!

 

And yes, the odds of getting killed in a car accident are far greater, but riding in a car is pretty much a necessity. Staying in a pool during a thunderstorm is not a necessity.

 

Several years ago, there was a kid killed by lightning here when no one had even heard thunder. It was literally a bolt out of the blue. He was out in an open field. Several other kids were injured as well.

[Jean in Newcastle]

In the news today - a  man on a motorcycle was hit by a bolt of lightning last night.  He drove to the side of the freeway and fell over.  The side of his head was burned through his helmet.  He was taken to the hospital but apparently is doing ok.  

[MyThreeSons]

We lost a computer, printer, and fax that was all plugged into a surge protector. It was later determined that the thing too so man hits, it was fried and we didn't know it. I don't trust those things.

That's why I said "high quality surge protector" -- they are not all created equally. And yes, they do need to be checked after a hit. I should have mentioned that at least one of ours died in the act of saving our TV and game system.

[sparrow]

Yeah -- the sheer amount of energy in a lightning bolt ought to inspire fear and wonder and respect. Don't mess with it!

 

And yes, the odds of getting killed in a car accident are far greater, but riding in a car is pretty much a necessity. Staying in a pool during a thunderstorm is not a necessity.

 

Several years ago, there was a kid killed by lightning here when no one had even heard thunder. It was literally a bolt out of the blue. He was out in an open field. Several other kids were injured as well.

 

I remember seeing one of those Dateline or 20/20 shows about lightning where a group of kids were all standing around outside taking pictures of each other because their hair was standing on end.  Next thing they heard a crack and all of them were on the ground. I can't remember if anyone died from this incident, but I remember thinking, "Hello? Your hair? It never crossed your mind that the air must be electrically charged?!"

[Pretty in Pink]

So, today we were at park day visiting with our HSing pals when thunder began rumbling in the distance. I couldn't stop thinking about this thread. I packed up my crew and got outta there!

[*Michelle*]

Dumb question, but would the risk only be with older homes that have metal pipes?  All of the pipes running into our house are PVC, so I'm assuming I can continue my stormy night baths?

[gardenmom5]

I remember seeing one of those Dateline or 20/20 shows about lightning where a group of kids were all standing around outside taking pictures of each other because their hair was standing on end.  Next thing they heard a crack and all of them were on the ground. I can't remember if anyone died from this incident, but I remember thinking, "Hello? Your hair? It never crossed your mind that the air must be electrically charged?!"

might find this interesting.  that photo is probably from 1975.  the three kids survived - one suffered 3rd degree burns.  the bolt split into three and one of those struck by another branch of it was killed.

[Wildcat]

That's why I said "high quality surge protector" -- they are not all created equally. And yes, they do need to be checked after a hit. I should have mentioned that at least one of ours died in the act of saving our TV and game system.

 

At the time, it was the most expensive one we could find. Maybe it was faulty? The electrician friend we spoke to said he thought it got zapped several times.

 

Is there a way to know if the surge protector is still functioning? That has always been my worry after our loss.

 

 

eta: my sister lost a bunch of computers at work--she unplugged all of them, but left the cords on the table about 6 inches away. The lightning jumped from the unplugged cords and fried all the computers. I now put my cord clear down on the floor.

 

Note to self:  Stop unplugging the laptops and leaving the cords right next to them.

 

Margaret, thanks for that story/warning!

[MyThreeSons]

eta: my sister lost a bunch of computers at work--she unplugged all of them, but left the cords on the table about 6 inches away. The lightning jumped from the unplugged cords and fried all the computers. I now put my cord clear down on the floor.

And this is why my brother says you're in danger during the act of unplugging the cord.

[sparrow]

So, today we were at park day visiting with our HSing pals when thunder began rumbling in the distance. I couldn't stop thinking about this thread. I packed up my crew and got outta there!

 

LOL, I thought about this thread today because I heard that Michigan State's Spartan Stadium was being evacuated due to the threat of lightning in an approaching storm.

[MyThreeSons]

At the time, it was the most expensive one we could find. Maybe it was faulty? The electrician friend we spoke to said he thought it got zapped several times.

 

Is there a way to know if the surge protector is still functioning? That has always been my worry after our loss.

From what I've read, once a surge suppressor has suppressed a surge, it has used up some of its effectiveness. Indicator lights are often only good for telling you whether current is flowing through the device, although some higher quality units may actually have indicator lights that indicate they are still functioning to a certain level.

 

In general, if you have surge suppressor that cost less than about $25, it probably needs to be replaced yearly.

[KungFuPanda]

I don't think turning off a TV or computer is any help -- if the cord is still plugged in, a surge can still get through. Unplugging it would prevent that, but as my brother once pointed out, there is danger to you in that split second while you are disconnecting the cord.Valuable electric devices ought to be plugged into a high-quality surge protector. During the strike I mentioned in another post, we had several items that were plugged into surge protectors and suffered no damage at all. We lost several devices that weren't protected.

We did unplug the TV. I don't think we HAD surge protectors back then. I don't remember unplugging anything else or refraining from using the bathroom. In my own home, I don't unplug anything for a storm. I'll take the miniscule risk over the hassle of unplugging everything whenever I hear lightening.