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New Study Says Fear Of Severe Weather Is Real

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - Are you scared of storms?

A new study by Ball State University says some Americans lose sleep or have feelings of helplessness due to severe weather.

Approximately 300 people in 43 states took part in the research.

"Severe weather phobia is very real," says Jill Coleman, a Ball State geography professor and lead author on the study, which was recently published in the American Meteorological Society Journal. "Some people will get physically ill or lose sleep while others will start watching weather forecasts on a more regular basis."

Severe Storms May 7, 2014
Lightning strikes over downtown Denver during an afternoon thunderstorm. (credit: CBS)

"Overall, we found that people simply love to talk about the weather," Coleman says. "In the West, it's about high winds and wildfires, and here in the Midwest it's all about tornadoes, thunderstorms and blizzards. On the East Coast, people are more likely to talk about hurricanes than regular thunderstorms."

Study findings include...

  • nearly 99 percent of respondents had experienced some form of severe weather with the most common being thunderstorms (90.9 percent) and high winds (90.3 percent) followed by heavy snow and freezing rain (80 percent each)
  • 80.5 percent of respondents do not suffer from severe weather phobia, 4.7 percent believe they do and the remainder was not sure
  • when it comes to severe weather, respondents reported feelings of anxiety (72 percent), increasing heart pounding (62.9 percent), changing schedules (60.8 percent) and feelings of helplessness (60.4 percent)
  • participants who reported taking a weather-related course also admitted experiencing more anxiety symptoms and behaviors
  • Severe Storms May 7, 2014
    Meteorologist Justin McHeffey tracks golf ball sized hail in Platteville. (credit: CBS)

    The study also found that 11.7 percent of participants reported they know someone who surfers from severe weather phobia.

    "My father lives in Kansas and the second he hears about tornadoes, he'll change his schedule to avoid being on the road and then start watching television reports more intensely," Coleman said. "Our research indicates that we actually may be able to see such phobias in others but have difficulty in seeing them in ourselves."

    Coleman believes her study lays the groundwork for a better understanding of severe weather phobia phenomena as well as the role that weather knowledge and anxiety plays in the minds of individuals across the country.

    Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.

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