Roof Replacement Case Studies: Fact or myth: Is lightning attracted to metal roofing?
Challenge
A common thought among people considering metal roofing is whether or not lightning is attracted to it. Is your house more likely to get struck with metal roofing vs asphalt or any other material?
The answer is no. Your house is no more likely to get struck by lightning with a metal roof than an asphalt roof. If your roof was struck by lightning, you’d actually be safer with a metal roof. Let’s go over why.
Where lightning tends to strike
The best indicator to predict where lightning will strike in an area is to use topography. Typically, lightning will aim for higher points (mountain tops, high buildings, etc.). So unless your house is the largest object in the area, you have nothing to really worry about.
Metal tends to be more conductive but this doesn’t mean lightning will be attracted to it, it simply means electricity is able to easily pass through it. In this case, it will spread out and direct into the ground.
What would happen if lightning did strike?
Metal is a good conductor, so if your roof was struck by lightning, the electrical energy would disperse outwards and down to the ground. There would be virtually no damage, opposed to other materials that are more resistant.
So if lightning struck your asphalt or wood roof, because those materials are poor conductors, they would be combustible and you could face fire damage. So between metal shingle roofing, asphalt shingles, and the other options, you’d be safer with metal.
Solution
With all of this in mind, metal really isn’t going to increase the risk of attracting lightning, it actually has no effect. That all depends on the location of your house; if it’s on a mountain, if it’s the highest object in the area, etc.
If this is something you’re worried about, getting a metal roof might be your safest bet. Traditional wood and asphalt roofing is combustible which is where the real damage will come from.
Interested in a free estimate from one of our metal roofing contractors? Click here.
