What happens if lightning strikes a pool

When lightning strikes land, it dissipates through the surrounding ground. If you are standing nearby, the current may find an easier path through your body — these indirect strikes are a more common cause of death, particularly in livestock. We know that water is a good conductor of electricity, so if lightning strikes water it will generate a current. If your body conducts it less well, it could be bi-passed by the current and you will escape unharmed.

This does prompt another question: are fish killed by lightning strikes? The idea is that any current generated by a lightning strike is more likely to spread out across the surface than to travel downwards, so as long as the fish are sufficiently far below the surface, they should be OK. The next point is that while being in the water might be bad, being next to it could be worse!

Being near water is clearly dangerous. When you leave the water, you are taller and dripping wet, which sounds like a potentially fatal combination. Your best bet is to get inside a building as quickly as possible or, failing that, a car, even if you do risk spoiling the seats. It could end badly either way. Image: Lightning strikes Minorca by Markus Trienke. Outdoor swimming has barriers to overcome before you experience the benefits. It's better to acknowledge them rather than pretend they don't exist.

In fact, it can even kill you. You should be aware of any and all water safety risks, whether you are in the pool, ocean or a nearby lake. Being mindful of the weather before a dip can be the smartest move you make!

Swimming during a thunderstorm is extremely risky behavior. When lightning strikes, it often hits the tallest thing in the vicinity. While this can be something like a tree or a phone tower, the highest point can also potentially be you. Therefore, even standing next to water during a thunderstorm can be dangerous. To prevent a thunderstorm-related injury, it is important to know when and how to avoid coming into contact with lightning. First off, thunder can be heard from about miles away.

Often, lightning follows shortly after. Though lightning is typically unpredictable, your best course of action is to be prepared and act cautiously when the weather gets dicey. Keep an eye on the weather and check the weather forecast before heading to the beach or pool. Any time you hear thunder, or see lightning, you should get out of the water and into a safe place. All types of swimming water are unsafe even if the thunderstorm is taking place a few miles away.

That is because lightning can travel many miles away from the edges of a storm. It can hit in areas unaffected by the rest of the storm. Additionally, water is a very good electrical conductor making it very dangerous during storms with lightning. Saltwater is an even better conductor than pool water.

Therefore, if it is stormy and you, your kids, or anyone is in the pool, it is time to get out of the water. Since water conducts electricity so well, there is no safe place in the water during an electrical storm.

Lightning current dissipates in all directions. Even if the first strike was several miles away, you should never put yourself or your loved ones in danger. Anyone in the water is the highest or tallest object in the water and is, therefore, the most likely target of the lightning strike. If you are in the pool with your friends, the first time you hear thunder, you should get out of the water fast.

The same applies when you see lightning. Make sure that you go inside, surrounded by walls, as an open picnic-type shelter, porch or lanai will not provide you the protection you need during such a lightning storm.

Another option is to enter a grounded vehicle. A common question that people ask regards the location of the lightning relative to the location of the storm.

Many pool owners easily misjudge the distance of lightning because it may seem very far away. Estimating the location may seem reasonable because they may have seen where lightning hit. In a typical situation in a noisy environment, such as in a public place where people talk and vehicles pass by, you cannot hear thunder unless it is a few miles away.

If you are in a very quiet area, you will hear the sound when it is up to 15 or even 25 miles away. When you see lightning at night, in the right conditions it could be as far as miles from your location.

During the daytime, lightning is typically visible within 25 miles. You also need to consider whether you heard thunder. If thunder is heard, it typically means lightning is less than 25 miles from your location, and there have been many instances of lightning strikes 25 miles from the edge of a storm. To be entirely safe, Pool Troopers recommends that you stay away from your swimming pool whenever storms are in your area.