Lightning and Water Don't Mix
Hot tub use during thunderstorms presents serious electrocution risk that all spa owners must understand and respect. Lightning striking near a hot tub can travel through water, wet surfaces, and connected electrical systems to affect anyone in contact with these pathways. The relaxation of hot tub soaking isn't worth the life-threatening risk storms present.
This isn't excessive caution—lightning kills approximately 20 people annually in the United States and injures hundreds more. Water-related activities, including bathing and swimming, appear in lightning incident reports regularly. Understanding the specific risks helps you make appropriate decisions when storms approach.
How Lightning Threatens Hot Tub Users
Direct strikes, while rare, are immediately lethal. However, direct strikes aren't the only threat—lightning can affect hot tub occupants through several pathways. Ground current from nearby strikes travels through soil and can reach spa water through grounding connections. Side flash from strikes to nearby trees or structures can arc to spa water or occupants. Contact with electrically connected equipment during strikes creates shock pathways.
The hot tub's electrical connection to your home's system means lightning doesn't need to strike the spa directly to create hazards. Strikes anywhere in your electrical service area can send surges through wiring that reaches spa equipment and potentially the water. These indirect pathways extend danger beyond the immediate vicinity of strikes.
When to Exit
The sound of thunder means lightning is close enough to pose threat—if you can hear thunder, you're within striking distance. Exit the hot tub immediately when thunder becomes audible, even if the storm seems distant or the sky above you is clear. Sound travels roughly five seconds per mile from lightning; audible thunder indicates the storm is close.
Don't wait for rain to begin—lightning often precedes rainfall, striking from storm fronts before precipitation arrives at your location. Clear skies overhead don't ensure safety when storms are approaching. The 30-30 rule suggests seeking shelter when the time between lightning flash and thunder is 30 seconds or less, and remaining sheltered until 30 minutes after the last thunder.
Seek Proper Shelter
After exiting the hot tub, move to substantial shelter—an enclosed building with wiring and plumbing that provides paths for electrical discharge, or a hard-topped vehicle. Gazebos, pergolas, covered patios, and other open structures don't provide lightning protection. The hot tub's proximity doesn't make nearby inadequate shelters better choices.
Avoid standing near the hot tub during storms even after exiting—the spa equipment and water remain potential lightning pathways. Move well away from the spa, any connected electrical equipment, and any metal structures that might attract or conduct lightning.
Warning System Awareness
Smartphone weather apps and lightning detection apps can provide advance warning of approaching storms. Enable notifications for severe weather alerts in your area. Some owners use dedicated lightning detectors that provide more immediate local detection than broader weather alerts.
Pay attention to developing weather—darkening skies, increasing wind, visible lightning in the distance—rather than relying solely on technology to alert you. Awareness of conditions around you provides the earliest warning that technology supplements rather than replaces.
Surge Protection
While surge protectors can't make hot tub use safe during storms, they protect equipment from damage during strikes you weren't soaking through. Whole-house surge protection and point-of-use protection at the spa disconnect panel reduce equipment damage risk from lightning-induced surges.
Surge protection represents good general practice regardless of lightning concerns—power grid disturbances from any cause can damage sensitive spa electronics. The modest investment in protection prevents expensive control board and equipment damage from various surge sources.
After Storms Pass
After thunderstorms, verify equipment operates normally before using the spa. Surges may have damaged components or tripped protective devices. Check that GFCI protection tests properly before entering the water. Inspect the area for storm damage that might have affected electrical connections or created other hazards.
If equipment behaves abnormally after storms—unusual sounds, error codes, failure to operate correctly—have a technician inspect before using the spa. Storm damage isn't always obvious visually; abnormal operation may indicate problems requiring professional assessment.
Guest Communication
When hosting guests, take responsibility for weather monitoring and storm response. Guests may not appreciate the hazard or may feel awkward suggesting everyone exit when they see weather developing. As host, make the call to clear the spa when storms approach rather than leaving the decision to group dynamics that may value continued enjoyment over safety.
Establish expectations before sessions when weather might develop—if we hear thunder