Cottleston Pie

Someone I know had heard that it wasn't safe to shower during a thunderstorm and didn't know whether this was something to be worried about or overblown.

I didn't know, so I spent quite a while today reading about lightning safety. There's some inconsistency evident from reading so many varied sources, but yes, consistently, showering during a lightning storm is more risky than not to a significant extent. The danger may be greater with conducting pipes (copper) than not (PVC), but the tap water itself is significantly conductive.

My summary and the advice that I gleaned for myself would be: whenever you can hear thunder, a nearby lightning strike is possible. Postpone a shower until after the storm if possible (and avoid contact with water, metal, and electrical fixtures around the house -- cordless phones and cell phones should be safe). If you do take a shower, then make it as brief as possible. Don't take a bath.

Risk-wise, the chance of getting hit by lightning in one's lifetime is much better than one in a million (much better than winning any big lottery!!). I'm not sure if that statistic was calculated over the U.S. or the world. But since Florida is one of the four or five most dangerous states in terms of lightning activity, we know the risk is not spread evenly across the U.S. and people in Florida need to take more precautions than people elsewhere to achieve similar risk levels.

Here's a short article on the topic for the opinion of another second-hand researcher: Some say storms and showers don't mix

This site quite a few links: Personal Lightning Safety