There's no better time to join the Y!

Find your Summer FUN and pay a $0 join fee during the Open House event at all Y locations May 22 - 27. 

Close alert There's no better time to join the Y!



YMCA of the USA and the National Lightning and Safety Institute recommend that both outdoor and indoor pools be cleared during a lightning and thunderstorm. We follow the 30-minute rule at all of YMCA of Greater San Antonio pools.

Outdoor Pools:

  • Lightning that is within a 10-mile radius

  • Resume activities 30 minutes after the last observed lightning or thunder


Indoor Pools:

  • Lightning strike occurs within a 3-mile radius

  • Resume activities 30 minutes after the last observed lightning within a 3-mile radius of the location


Why do we close our indoor pools during a storm?
Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Just because a pool is surrounded by a structure does not make it safe during a storm.


LIGHTNING FACTS

  • Lightning kills more people in the U.S. than hurricanes and tornados combined.
  • The average storm is 6 - 10 miles wide and moves at 25 MPH.
  • 13 percent of all lightning incidents involve swimming, boating or fishing.
  • Thunder is usually heard up to 12 miles from a lightning strike. In other words, if you can hear thunder, you’re in danger of lightning.
  • Lightning strikes can reach up to 10 miles.  

That's why we follow the National Weather Service motto: When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors.