Illinois Storms: Can You Be Struck By Lightning If You’re Inside?

Since we're just about to enter spring, also known as thunderstorm season in Illinois, it seems like a good time to bring up an often-asked question about whether or not lightning can get at you if you're inside.

There have been lots of warnings over the years about being in the shower or bathtub during a thunderstorm and the chances of being killed or injured should the house take a lightning strike while you're covered in lather (click here to learn your chances for that happening to you), but what if you're looking out the window, sitting on the couch, or looking through your refrigerator?

There's no doubt that lightning can mess up your house, as a Rockford woman learned last year.

According To The Illinois State Climatologist's Office, Lightning In Illinois Kills 2 To 3 People Every Year And Injures About 10 People

Across the United States every year, around 1,000 people are struck by lightning, and over 100 of them are killed. So what does that have to do with being inside?

The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) says that 33 percent of lightning strike injuries and deaths happen indoors.

That number was higher in the past when more people had land-line, or home phones. When lightning would strike the phone line outside the house, that strike had the potential to hit every phone in the home, and injure someone who may have been holding the phone.

Now that home phones have pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur, is there still a danger when you're inside?

Yes, There Is Still Danger When You're Inside During A Lightning Storm

According to the National Weather Service's lightning brochure, having contact with electrical equipment, plumbing, outside doors, or window frames during periods of lightning is very dangerous because the current from lightning can travel through all of those things and get to you if you're not careful.

The CDC says that using something that's plugged in, or even being in close proximity to an electrical outlet can be very risky when there's lightning in the area. Several deaths per year can be attributed to being too close to electronics.