# Does rebar increase risk of lightning strike?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rebar-increase-risk-of-lightning-strike/177351>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 25, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rebar-increase-risk-of-lightning-strike/177351 "2003-05-25T04:09:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dunnahill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dunnahill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dunnahill)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rebar-increase-risk-of-lightning-strike/177351/1 "2003-05-25T04:09:40Z")

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I posted this to Cecil but am awaiting response… anyone here care to take a shot at it too?

Question: The National Weather Service warns that leaning on a concrete wall or standing on steel reinforced concrete during a thunderstorm could be hazardous. Therefore, does a rebar reinforced concrete foundation INCREASE the risk of a lightning strike to a home? Case in point, house in question has rebar arrayed in a 1 foot square grid pattern within 12 inch thick concrete foundation walls. House was hit by lightning within 4 months of concrete foundation walls being poured under this 55 y/o house. Is there a correlation… or just ‘luck of the draw’?

Dunny

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**Author:** ![dunnahill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dunnahill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dunnahill)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rebar-increase-risk-of-lightning-strike/177351/2 "2003-05-25T04:13:14Z")

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Very sorry… didn’t mean to post this twice… have had trouble with computer locking up when sending posts ever since the lightning hit…

Dunny