No, turn it off during a thunderstorm.

The risk isn’t the rain—it’s lightning. If a strike hits your power line or near your equipment, the surge can fry your pump’s motor or control board. That’s an expensive repair for something you can prevent.

Running the pump during a storm also doesn’t help anything. The pump won’t keep the pool cleaner in a downpour, and debris will wash in anyway. Plus, if the power flickers, the restart could stress the system.

The only exception might be if you’re trying to skim debris during a heavy storm to prevent clogs later, but even then, I’d rather lose a little water quality than a pump.

Turn it off, unplug it if you can reach the outlet safely, and wait until the storm passes. Your pump will thank you.