Are You Scared Of Thunderstorms?

[biddie]

no it does not need to be open, its metal that attracts a lightning strike.

you mean the lightning is attracted to the frame or it can go through glass ?

[johnholmes]

I have to confess Biddie but I am not sure so its best if I ask for someone with more knowledge about the ways of lightning to answer your question.

sorry not to be able to answer you.

John

so anyone out there with the answer please post it up for Biddie, thanks

Edited May 14, 2007 by johnholmes

[PhilM1]

I had a terrible phobia of storms up until I was about 12. During the day if a storm came over I would shut the curtains and stick my fingers in my ears until it passed over. Night time sotrms were the worst, would instantly jump into bed with my nan, pull the blanket over my head and lie there fingers in ears shaking like a leaf until it passed.

But then one day walking home from school there was a storm that came over head. I was terrified and then a very close CG came down with an instant boom. And in a kind of shock therapy way I was no longer scared! I can't explain it other than assume that at that moment I realised there was very little chance that the storm could hurt me and that as I was still 10 mins from home there was no more point fretting over it!

Ever since then I have been fascinated and excited in equal measure and get thoroughly annoyed if storms break out widely but miss my location! It's the same with snow as well!

When finances allow I would love to join a future Netweather chase in America.

[BrickFielder]

you mean the lightning is attracted to the frame or it can go through glass ?

The mechanism of lightning I think starts of with a stepped leader. This is a reletively small current electrical discharge which moves down in about 50 meter steps forking into seperate leaders. Once the leaders get near to the ground then an opposite charge in the earth tends to focus underneath the leader. This charge results in a number of oppoiste charge streamers moving up to meeet the leaders. Once streamer and leader meet then the channel is opened up for the full discharge of electricity. Often only one streamer and leader meet but in intense storms many streamers can meet tendrills of the leader. What determines where a strike will hit is where the streamers form. Streamers will tend to form from high points because charge tends to congregate in high points and will focus from/at conductive material. Lightning may be attracted to metal window frames but is more likely to be attracted to television aerials which is hwy it is a good idea to unplug your television or at least do not sit in front of it during a thunderstorm.

Ball lightning is a different phenomena and tends not to obey the conventional rules though.

[Guest]

I was scared when I was a kid. I used to just curl up under the bed covers or turn on the TV just to drown out the thunder. I also was petrified of the flashes of lighting, adamant that our house got struck. For some reason my hometown saw more night meso thunderstorms when I was younger.

Now my fear has turned to fascination, but unfortunately I haven't seen a decent thunderstorm overnight for years!

[Harry]

Stormraider, I can totally sympathise with the fear of loud noises, 100%!

When I was younger, the main things I was scared of were fireworks, balloons and thunder, purely because of the bang they caused. I dont think having a phobia of noise is irrational at all...how can it be? Everybody jumps when there is a bang, and if it is loud and sudden enough, they'll shake and feel flushed and maybe even develop a sweat!

I think the day my fear changed was when there was a HUGE, probably supercell thunderstorm which came up from the South. It lasted for hours and the lightning was almost constant. The rain was incredible, the thunder deafening and the lightning...awesome! Problem is I missed most of the lightning because I was buried under my mum and dad's pillow! Since then I have been simply in AWE of thunderstorms. That roar of thunder makes me go all tingley...just in awe what nature can do.

I laid awake the other night, woke up by the intense rain, hoping it was the first storm of 2007. About a minute later, the room lit up and the crack that followed was great...where just after the flash, theres an instant crack, and then a loud raw getting louder and louder!!!! However it may be worth noting, if I'm woken up by thunderstorms, especially loud ones right over head, still makes me nervous, however much I love them...Im relieved its not only me :huh:

Best advice I can give stormraider, is to try and appreciate what nature can do! Its amazing to think that condensation and some collisions of ice and rain drops, can lead to 30,000 degree, million volt sparks, causing sonic booms (thunder)! Next time there is a storm, think whats actually happening, think about the processes going on! And just enjoy it!

[Stormraider]

Best advice I can give stormraider, is to try and appreciate what nature can do! Its amazing to think that condensation and some collisions of ice and rain drops, can lead to 30,000 degree, million volt sparks, causing sonic booms (thunder)! Next time there is a storm, think whats actually happening, think about the processes going on! And just enjoy it!

Well i have tried that, i have known for a number of years what causes thunder but it doesnt help me get over my phobia, i guess im going to have to live with it, if its not going to go in 31 years then its not going at all.

I enjoy watching them, always have done... just cannot get over the noise. Come to think of it... its more like a reaction than a phobia which isnt even mine, its my nans !

I have survived 31 years... no doubt ill survive the next 31 too. There are people out there with phobias and fears of everything, from Apples to Zebra's everybody has a phobia/fear of something, no matter how strong or weak the fear/phobia is. Those who deny having any phobia/fear is a liar, we are only human afterall... its natural to be scared of something.

[Geordiesnow]

I'm not scared of thunderstorms at all infact get very excited when theres one about(which is not often). The only time when i get nervous when the lightning is right above your house and have the fear the house is going to get struck or 1 hit the trees in the street. I always love watching the track of the storms aswell which is quite interesting.

[Snow Queen one]

I love storms but the rain brings out the subject of my phobia. I am a worm phobic. I hate the little buggers. I know they are good for the soil but i used to have nightmares about them.

[biddie]

it only turns from a fear to a phobia when it starts to affect your day to day living. you begin to avoid certain situations that you would normally carry out and your mind is constantly preoccupied with the subject you also become a habitual checker and planner

Edited May 14, 2007 by biddie

[disco-barry]

Stormraider, Noise can hurt you and drive you mad.

I can understand why people are scared of thunder as i can understand they can be scared of anything else, life isn't it?

[Stuart]

I am not scared of thunderstorms at all

[Stormraider]

Yes Disco-Brarry... Noise can indeed hurt you if the frequency is high enough, it can burst your ear drums... very painful i should imagine.

Noises like thunder and loud jets, despite them being very loud, they are not loud enough to do you any damage. Take the noise levels in the average factory, i have worked in several, and before the rules about health and safety came into force, i used to come home with my ears ringing due to the long time i spent in a noisy enviroment. Now my hearing is not as good as it used to be because of it.

I agree Biddie... i plan my whole life around thunder, I look forward to late autumn/winter because there is less chance of a storm (though i have known it to thunder on xmas day). Each spring i start wondering what the summer has in store for me, i do that every year. I have noticed that not just in summer but all year round now i find myself thinking about thunder, weather its going to happen or not, can i risk going out for a drink? but what if there comes a storm?

I cannot plan anything a few days ahead, just incase there is a storm. I planned to join the army at 18... i thought that by then i would be rid of my phobia but sadly no, cant have a soldier on the battlefield suddenly stop and put his fingers in his ears because of a sudden storm.

[Damone]

Yep, I dread summer coming too, and I dread waiting for the beginning of autumn when you get that inevitable big thunderstorm that makes your windows rattle.

I was surprised when I first came onto this site just how many brontophobes there were. And although I am happy to know I am not alone, it is slightly disheartening to see that no one seems to have beaten it the same way I'm trying to - i.e. through learning.

I have been absolutely desperate, to the point of completely breaking down, to find some way to cure it. The idea of spending the rest of my life like this is becoming increasingly unbearable.

[Stormraider]

Same here Damone.

I keep seeing in my minds eye me going about my daily business and a storm is raging outside yet i dont have my fingers in my ears or have headphones on. I have been told that if you can imagine yourself getting on with life instead of being beaten by your fear/phobia, you are half way to being cured.

I also keep telling myself, i can beat this... though easier said than done, its far from impossible. All i have to do is break the habit, though how i dont rightly know but there just has to be an answer out there. I have seen therapists, had hypnosis, listened to cd's on headphones at night. Nothing seems to work.

[Damone]

I have been to the doctors with this problem many a time, and they've pretty much just fobbed me off with a second-rate counseling session. They couldn't tell me anything that I don't already know. In fact, really they didn't tell me much at all.

I know it has a lot to do with my fear of taking risks, and of losing control. I hate watching horror films for the same reason - it's the suspense that bothers me. Knowing that something's just around the corner, but not knowing when it will arrive. It all ties in.

It has affected almost every aspect of my life, and even relationships. I have always been terrified of embarrassing myself in front of a boyfriend, so I have tried to avoid seeing them when there's been even the remotest chance of a thunderstorm. And like most people, when you try to explain, it is often considered amusing.

I get moments of despair, but like you I hope to kill it eventually, once and for all. I have noticed mild improvements - once I managed to watch the end of a thunderstorm that had just rattled through my town. To actually watch the lightning and to force myself to stay for the thunder (it was more than a mile away, so I knew it wouldn't be too loud) is something I haven't done for the past 6 years!

Really thunderstorms are truly incredible things! I love reading about them, watching footage of them (with the volume down fairly low, of course! hehe), and I am always awe-struck by their immense power and beauty. If I could just let the love overcome the fear, I think I would be fine.

[xxsnowflakexx]

Went through a phase of being terrified of thunderstorms about 6 years ago. It was very strange as storms had never affected me like that in the past and I was always excited by them.

Once I knew a storm was approaching I would remove all jewellry, turn all electricity off (if alone I would turn all power off by the trip switch under the stairs!) unplug aerials. I'd also find it difficult to know where to remain at night, I could not sit/sleep under a light or near a socket. Near windows or metal objects - in the end there was nowhere that I felt safe! Also not knowing where was safest, upstairs or down. I would even put my trainers on. Had been known to sit in the wardrobe in the wall (lol). I wanted to try putting headphones on but was worried that this might be dangerous! Continually pacing up and down and fidgety.

I was gradually able to sit in the car and watch storms and watch them through the window from my bed at night.

Edited May 15, 2007 by xxsnowflakexx

[simonperkins]

I'm exactly the same as other peoples comments on here. Glad to see that there are other people, makes me feel less of a freak. I dread the other half being away on business in the summer months, because I know that sods law there will be a storm during the night when I'm on my own. I have an almost obsessive fascination with storms too. Very strange and obviously linked psychologically somehow, maybe to a childhood experience but can't remember anything specific. By the way fear of thunder is called Brontophobia and fear of lightning is Astrophobia.

[Stormraider]

Brontophobia is one of the most common of all phobias in the world, there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of people out there with Brontophobia of some degree. So you are far from alone Simon, when i was a kid i didnt like to be left alone if a storm was about, i even had my mother come stay in my room if there was one at night. Now though im fine on my own, ill just relax on my bed either reading or whatever.

My phobia of thunder has lessened somewhat over the past few years due to me learning more about how thunder is made and about how storm clouds are formed. Today for example... its like April showers here today with a good chance of a rumble or a mini storm, yet i am up and about on my pc doing normal stuff about the house. I still watch the sky from time to time just making sure, but several years ago id be on my bed with the tv on and headphones at the ready. I think my phobia is going... very slowly but i notice improvments each year... Ill probably conquer Brontophobia on my death bed lol knowing my luck !

[Supercell]

My phobia of wind and thunderstorms made me want to understand them more. I now love the extremes. The change was so dramatic. I would certainly stay up until the early hours to witness the excitement of a thunderstorm. I could not have imagined doing this 5 or so years ago. I used to pace up and down the living room, shaking. A stiff breeze that generated any noise when blowing around the house, often, resulted in me burying my head in a pillow.

Learning more about the weather has completely transformed a phobia into fist-in-the-air enjoyment.

[alijoy60]

I haven't got a phobia about t-storms, but I don't like being woken by "seeing" a flash of lightning through my eyelids when asleep. This because I WAS scared of them when I was little, and used to imagine a wizened, very scary old man's face every time the lightning flashed.

My Mum was v scared of them, as her house was hit by a thunderbolt when she was a child, and I picked up her tension.

I still would not go out in a storm, but enjoy watching them. My 3 sons, brought up by me, love them!

Ali

[Thundery wintry showers]

I'm not a full-on brontophobe, but I do have a fear of being hit by lightning when outside in a thunderstorm (quite an irrational fear, as the chances are remote, but the fear is there). However, once I'm inside I go to the other extreme, turning all lights off and staring out of the window, I find thunderstorms (along with most dramatic weather) very awe-inspiring.

I can thus empathise with people who are frightened of thunderstorms; it must be particularly hard for those who would love to go storm chasing, would like to enjoy storms etc. but can't shake off this phobia. As it happens I do have phobias of my own, the main ones being wasps, unfamiliar dogs, and large heights.

On the other hand (this may seem selfish to some), while I certainly respect the predicament of brontophobes, and would be prepared to console and help them out as much as possible, there's no way that I'd wish away a good thunderstorm as part of 'showing respect' (just like I wouldn't wish away a good snowstorm on the grounds that many elderly people die). I resent with a passion the way that as a nation it is expected that 'normal' people hate thunderstorms; I remember one case on 21 June 2003, looking forward to possible storms on my birthday, only to hear the immortal "Hopefully north-east England should escape the storms". (As it happens, the forecast was wrong, and there were indeed storms the next morning)

Edited May 30, 2007 by Thundery wintry showers

[biddie]

Yes Disco-Brarry... Noise can indeed hurt you if the frequency is high enough, it can burst your ear drums... very painful i should imagine.

Noises like thunder and loud jets, despite them being very loud, they are not loud enough to do you any damage. Take the noise levels in the average factory, i have worked in several, and before the rules about health and safety came into force, i used to come home with my ears ringing due to the long time i spent in a noisy enviroment. Now my hearing is not as good as it used to be because of it.

I agree Biddie... i plan my whole life around thunder, I look forward to late autumn/winter because there is less chance of a storm (though i have known it to thunder on xmas day). Each spring i start wondering what the summer has in store for me, i do that every year. I have noticed that not just in summer but all year round now i find myself thinking about thunder, weather its going to happen or not, can i risk going out for a drink? but what if there comes a storm?

I cannot plan anything a few days ahead, just incase there is a storm. I planned to join the army at 18... i thought that by then i would be rid of my phobia but sadly no, cant have a soldier on the battlefield suddenly stop and put his fingers in his ears because of a sudden storm.

sadly i have spent most of my life very similar to you 42 now im i am embarrased to admit- but if it helps there are so many organisations that can help now although thunderstorm phobia notoriously hard to deal with but with modern tecniques and medication you can be de sentisied somewhat. i personally am terrified of lightning yet fasinated and very scared of being either outside or on my own during them I wish you luck

Edited May 30, 2007 by biddie

[Damone]

I would rather find a way to allow my love of storms to blossom and drown out the fear than spend the rest of my life tranquilized. Dunno quite how I'm gonna achieve that though - but I did manage to watch the last 15 minutes of a storm last year as it passed across my town (witnessed a beautiful CG lightning bolt hit the ground a mile away on a hill about a mile away, and managed to remain relatively still waiting for the thunder to arrive), so I know at some point I am gonna stop taking photos of potential storms and actually start photographing active ones. Just wish my fear would hurry up and disappear!

I have almost beaten my fear of spiders, and other minor phobias, but this one is really taking some beating!

Also, a part of me is almost looking forward to the activity tomorrow, and a part of me is absolutely terrified, especially as I shall be on my own. Strange that a fear and love can exist for the same thing...

[Thundery wintry showers]

Well, best of luck with it; it's highly commendable that you're trying, and certainly won't be easy.