Fear of Severe Weather and Tornadoes

[looking4answers]

I grew up in an area where tornado warnings are as common as sunshine.... we would go on to work or swim or play or whatever we did and never worried about the weather allthough we had some horrendous weather especiallly when they never predicted any. It seems that is the most common time to have bad weather when they arent expecting it.

I have lived for many years under the threat of severe weather... I assure you its a very
rational worry. Where I grew up there was always backlash from hurricanes and actually have been in three huricanes in my life and made it ok. Also idiot me ... I have lived in Oklahoma for a few years in a place called tornado alley. I have experienced 120 mile winds living there and saw four tornados up close and personsal. I very much like tou have been terrified with bad weather but have learn to be aware of it and have a great respect for it and never take chances with it but I have gotten over the panic attacks I used to get. Also I have studied weather formations and radar and the appearances of clouds and their formations and can usually predict what the weather is going to do better than the forcasters. One word of warning... dont ever dwell on what the weather chanel says or the weathermen say. These people are sensationalist. Their motto is blood and guts sell. Ever notice how they milk every little ounce of news out of every storm that happens?

They love it... These people are all dog and pony shows... The more they say to get people upset enough to stay glued to their televisions the better their ratings. Frankly they are a bunch of horrible actors with so little to work with they have to come up with something.

Everytime there is a storm and there is a street flooded they will try to make it look like the whole town is flooded and the area is a disaster which is never the case. I have seen the do it with my town even. We had one little area flooded and they made it sound like the whole town was underwater and people were calling from all ovrr asking if we were ok... I thought it was so funny. I love watching during hurricane season. I laugh my behind off. You ever see the guy on the beach swaying and looking as id the wind is going to blow him away ,yet in the background you see people casually walking by with no trouble at all. Im telling you its all drama and entertainment... Its better to just study weather and the patterns and do your own predicting because if you keep watching those morons you will surely go mad. I just hate it when they actually do have a story like Katrina. Our homes were there in the west bank not in the flooded area but they would report things like our area was being looted and everything and we could do nothing but helplessly watch in horror and worry what was happening and we were told notto come back home for a month. Imagine how we felt? But as it turned out when we got home all the news reports turned out to be false and we worried for no reason. Im telling you they are all BS artist. Im thinking my mother was always right. She said that 99 percent of the things you worry about never ever come to pass and as time progress Im inclined to believe her.At age 56 she told me that when I was a teenager so I rest my case :-)))

[Eva May]

One word of warning... dont ever dwell on what the weather chanel says or the weathermen say. These people are sensationalist. Their motto is blood and guts sell. Ever notice how they milk every little ounce of news out of every storm that happens?

They love it... These people are all dog and pony shows... The more they say to get people upset enough to stay glued to their televisions the better their ratings. Frankly they are a bunch of horrible actors with so little to work with they have to come up with something.

Everytime there is a storm and there is a street flooded they will try to make it look like the whole town is flooded and the area is a disaster which is never the case. I have seen the do it with my town even. We had one little area flooded and they made it sound like the whole town was underwater and people were calling from all ovrr asking if we were ok.)

That is so true, they make it 100 times worse than you need to think it is. I freak out over heavy winds and snow and I really feel for u cos I know u get ridiculous amounts of all that. I tend to take some medication just to take the edge off and sometimes even to knock me out so I can sleep through it. Hope it wasn't too bad for u

[looking4answers]

Years ago I would get the panic welling up in me as I watched the weather channel and the realised after the storn I had been terrified for no reason.Thats when I started watching the conditions and the measurements and watch the storm come and go and realised they had made a big deal about nothing. I soon learned I could predict better than they could and I learned to take them with a grain of salt. Also six years ago we moved to the lower middle half of Colorado,where we would get 10 to 20 ft of snow a year,where you get 8 months of winter and you cant get out of your house sometimes until you push the door open and jump on the other side to dig your door out of the snow,where you have to use a tractor to dig your drive out of the snow to get to the road and then you wait till the county to come plow the rural roads after they have done the towns roads ....now thats what I call panic. But we endured that for five years and now moved back to tornado/hurricane country lol

[tomspy77]

To all:

Obviously I'm alive and made it. Actually nothing happened even though the worst did happen, it happened a bit further away. Thanks for all the replies and good viibes.

Looking:

I get you and not too sure if I could have come through all that sane lol...

I do trust the weather idiots are tonic salesman at times, but that is why I hardly watch news at all. Most of my info comes from the NWS and the Storm Prediction Center.

We are under slight risk tonight but wanted to pop in, say thanks and catch up.

I also want to note that although I cannot right now I do have a few links to share with future readers with this phobia(s), both of the dealing with the phobia nature and for storm education as Looking is right, I am going to educate myself as much as I can.

I'm somewhat of a freelance writer on top if my forty hour a week job and my nuttiness, so ill pop back in with the links ASAP as time permits.

Thanks again!

[Eva May]

Years ago I would get the panic welling up in me as I watched the weather channel and the realised after the storn I had been terrified for no reason.Thats when I started watching the conditions and the measurements and watch the storm come and go and realised they had made a big deal about nothing. I soon learned I could predict better than they could and I learned to take them with a grain of salt. Also six years ago we moved to the lower middle half of Colorado,where we would get 10 to 20 ft of snow a year,where you get 8 months of winter and you cant get out of your house sometimes until you push the door open and jump on the other side to dig your door out of the snow,where you have to use a tractor to dig your drive out of the snow to get to the road and then you wait till the county to come plow the rural roads after they have done the towns roads ....now thats what I call panic. But we endured that for five years and now moved back to tornado/hurricane country lol

Oh my god ha seriously that's all I can say oh and well done for surviving those conditions with your condition

[D&K]

had a quiet winter but now the thunderstorms are starting again in the uk how does everyone feel it cracks me up..

[shotokansho]

I used to live in a house with old trees that actually were bigger than my house! When we had gale force winds it would terrify my, I would watch the trees swaying really hard and it scared me rotten. I was always obsessing that they were going to fall down in the wind and flatten my house while me and my boys were in it. I have moved now and the anxiousness has eased because there is only one tree and it isn't so big. Gale force winds still frighten me though.

[tomspy77]

I know tornados can tech happen anywhere but do they happen often in the UK?

Still lightning is tech more dangerous then a tornado as it kills more people by far per year, not that I'm trying to cause you panic its easy enough to avoid if you are or can get indoors.

Have to clear some time and write up a sever storm learning/coping guide, really want to get to this as it will help me by writing it and others by reading it.

[shotokansho]

I think the learning/coping guide will be a great idea!

[tomspy77]

Thanks, at this moment I am trying to gather as much data as I can for that guide, I will write it and it will be in this thread at some point, especially as I just found my own thread here on Google when I typed in "Severe weather phobia", it was even on page one, so i feel I have to to help out people going through what I am right now.

Sunday they call for a 30% chance of "slight" severe weather in my area again, including possible tornadoes. So of course I am in a flutter and in full,on panic mode again as I again have to work and am going mad.

I feel so stupid and ashamed here guys, I don't get what is wrong with me that I have all these dumb phobias and fears. I have lead a long odd life full of hurt and pain and also have two bad legs that hurt daily and no one helps me with any of it as I'm living in this economy where half the world has its hand out right or wrong, I'm poor and I am sick of this.

Here I ma at almost five in the morning crying over storms...how foolish is that? I must don't want o live the rest of my life running from all these shadows..to think I'll move to a place in a few months where there are hurricanes seems impossible.

Learning has helped but another word of advice is to be wary of weather discussion forums as most there are storm chasers who are rooting and reporting bad weather in a positive manner. It both amazes and sickens me to be honest.

I also wrote an email to the gentleman who named this a phobia and hopefully the olde email address still works and he responds...at the weather forum when I posted about this topic and the article I got sound links and advice as well as people poking fun at me as well.

I'll stop rambling now and continue the Google route and then check the weather pages again (Hoping for a positive change) and then try to sleep...then after tomorrow comes Sunday..sigh.

*Excuse my typos, I'm typing this in a teary little emotional fit...but thanks for listening*