Weather Phobias
Did you know that there are fears related to the weather? These weather phobias are real psychological conditions, and there is almost one for each type of weather. This blog will explore 4 of these severe weather phobias.
Astraphobia is the fear of lightning and thunder; with the Greek prefix for lightning being “astra”. This fear is one that has symptoms of continuous checking of the weather. Astraphobia is one of the weather fears that affects not just humans, but also our pets. Dogs and cats are the most common pets affected by this phobia; and a common characteristics for both humans and pets, is to hide under something or a dark location (bed, table, closet, or covers).
Lilapsophobia is the fear of severe storms. This phobia is focused on the fears of hurricanes and tornadoes, compared to general thunderstorms. Lilapsophobia is also a severe form of Astraphobia. This fear is usually caused by loss or destruction of a loved one from these types of storms. It can also be caused by hearing news throughout the media of an impending storm, even though sometimes this weather will not directly impact the individual. This fear also leads to constant checking of the weather, but also the fear of being alone when a storm nears, which is refereed to as autophobia.
Homichlophobia is the fear of fog. This fear is usually triggered by a negative experience such as a car accident or the thought that fog is a supernatural event like ghosts. Sufferers of Homichlophobia will tend to not go out when there is a fog or could even be severely crippled to even drive; if they believe the fog could return quickly on a sunny day. This phobia is also associated with nephophobia, which is the fear of clouds.
Chionophobia is the fear of snow, with the Greek prefix for snow being “chion”. This fear is similar to Homichlophobia, in that it can be triggered by a negative event like an accident. This phobia unfortunately can branch from other phobias and also its symptoms results in other phobias. Chionophobia can lead to claustrophobia, which is the fear of being trapped or tight spaces, which can happened if stranded in a vehicle during a bad snowstorm. This fear is branched out from the fear of ice and frost which is Pagophobia; and Cyrophobia which is the fear of cold weather.
Below is a list of other weather phobias
- Thermophobia- fear of hot weather
- Iridophobia- fear of rainbows
- Ombrophobia- fear of rain
- Humidophobia- fear of humidity
- Grandophobia- fear of hail
- Anemophobia- fear of wind
- Heliophobia- fear of sunshine
- Selenaphobia- fear of the moon
These weather phobias can usually be cured by something simple, like explaining that these are normal forces of nature at work. However, some of these phobias depending the circumstances may require professional medical attention.
