Do metal roofs attract lightning?

What the National Weather Service says

The National Weather Service lists "metal attracts lightning" as a myth. Its lightning myths page says height, pointy shape and isolation are the dominant factors in where lightning strikes. The presence of metal, it says, makes no difference.

The same page adds one caution. Metal doesn't attract lightning, but it does conduct it, so the NWS tells people to stay away from metal fences and railings in a storm. Indoors, it says to stay off corded phones, plumbing, and metal doors and windows.

So do metal roofs attract lightning to a house? No more than shingles or tile do. A tall home on an open rise is a likelier target than a one-story house among taller trees, whatever the roof is made of.

What the Metal Construction Association says

The Metal Construction Association (MCA) updated its technical bulletin on lightning and metal roofs in 2018. Its executive director, Karl Hielscher, said research shows the roof material does not influence the risk of a lightning strike.

The MCA is just as clear about the other side. Metal roofs don't attract lightning, and they don't protect a building from it either. A metal roof is not a lightning protection system.

Panel maker ATAS lists what does drive the odds of a strike:

• The lay of the land. An open hilltop is more exposed than flat ground.
• Size and height. A tall building, or one covering more ground, is a likelier target.
• Neighbors. Larger, taller structures nearby lower the odds for a small building.
• Storm frequency. The more thunderstorms an area gets, the higher the risk.

That last factor is where Florida stands out.

Lightning in Orlando and Central Florida

Florida led every U.S. state in lightning density in 2025, with 305 events per square mile, according to Vaisala Xweather's annual lightning report. Orlando's wettest months, June through September, average 6.37 to 8.05 inches of rain each at the airport (NOAA 1991–2020 normals).

Those numbers are why so many homeowners here ask do metal roofs attract lightning before they sign. A high strike rate doesn't change the answer for your roof. It does raise the stakes on what happens when lightning hits any house, and that's where roof material matters.

What happens if lightning strikes a metal roof

ATAS explains that damage from a strike comes from resistance to the current, which turns into heat and can cause fire or explosion. When framing and roofing conduct electricity, ATAS says, those threats are reduced. The MCA adds that a noncombustible roof like metal lowers the threat of fire, and with it the threat to people inside.

DECRA, which makes stone-coated steel, calls fire the central danger in a strike. It notes that asphalt shingles are petroleum-based and flammable. Nearly all metal roofing, it says, carries a Class A fire rating, the top class under the UL 790 test.

None of that makes a strike harmless. The NWS advice to stay off corded phones and away from plumbing during a storm applies under any roof.

Lightning protection systems are a separate decision

A lightning protection system gives a strike a planned route to the ground. ATAS describes it as a continuous conductor from sky to earth that gives the charge a path of least resistance.

The design standard is NFPA 780, now in its 2026 edition, according to the Lightning Protection Institute. UL calls it the national design guide for complete lightning protection systems in the United States.

UL inspects finished installations to a separate standard, UL 96A. It can issue a Master Label Certificate for a complete structure, valid for five years.

The need for one has little to do with the roof. Look at the risk factors ATAS lists: a tall house, an open or raised lot, nothing taller nearby. If you add a system, have the protection installer and your metal roofer agree on how the air terminals attach before anyone drills a panel.

Choosing a metal roof in a lightning state

Do metal roofs attract lightning? No, so lightning is no reason to avoid one. If anything, the MCA counts the noncombustible roof as a point in metal's favor.

Choose on wind, heat, lifespan and price instead. Our guide to metal roof types covers the systems, and metal roof vs shingles in Florida covers the trade-offs.

If storm noise is your next worry, read are metal roofs loud when it rains. When you're ready for prices, compare installers on the list of metal roofers in Orlando.

Sources: National Weather Service, Lightning Myths; Metal Construction Association, Metal Roofs May Actually be Safer During Lightning Storms (June 2018); ATAS International, Tech Tips: Metal Roofing and Lightning; DECRA, What happens when lightning strikes a metal roof?; Vaisala Xweather, 2025 Annual Lightning Report; NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals, Orlando International Airport; Lightning Protection Institute, Standards; UL Solutions, Lightning Protection Systems.