WEATHER-PHOBIA

Davis, R. E. (1976) Predictability of sea surface temperature and sea level pressureanomalies over the North Pacific Ocean. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 6, pp. 249-266.

Davis, R. E. (1978) Predictability of sea level pressure anomalies over the NorthPacific Ocean. J. Phys. Oceanogr.. 8, pp. 233-246.

Haworth, C. (1978) Some relationships between sea surface temperature anomaliesand surface pressure anomalies. Quart. J. R. Met. Soc., 104, pp. 131-146.

Lau, N.-C. (1981) A diagnostic study of recurrent meteorological anomalies appearingin a 15 year simulation with a GFDL general circulation model. Mon. Weath.Rev., 109 pp. 2287-2311.

Namias, J. (1976) Negative ocean feedback systems over the North Pacific in thetransition from warm to cold seasons. Mon. Weath. Rev.. 104, pp. I U)7-112\.

Newell, R. E. (1981) Climatic variations and variability: Facts and Theories. Edited byA. Berger, NATO Advanced Study Institute Series. D. Reidel Publishing Com­pany.

Rowntree, P. R. (1972) The influence of tropical east Pacific Ocean temperatures onthe atmosphere. Quart. J. R. Met. Soc., 98, pp. 290-321.

Wells, N. (1979a) A coupled ocean-atmosphere model. The ocean response. Quart. J.R. Met. Soc., 105, pp. 335-370.

Wells, N. C. (1979b) The effect of a tropical sea surface temperature anomaly in acoupled ocean-atmosphere model. J. Geophys. Res., 84, pp. 4971-4984.

- (1982) The ocean and climate - An Introduction. Weather, 37, pp. llb-121.

WEATHER-PHOBIA

A few days after the heavy snowfalls of January 1982 I received a letter from aBournemouth woman which disclosed a fear I had never heard of, weather-phobia.This is part of the letter.

"For the past ten years I have fought against a phobia I have concerning theweather. As soon as the temperatures start to rise and it looks as if summer is begin­ning to arrive I start to panic and spend the summer months indoors watching, listen­ing to and reading every weather forecast there is. Worse than that, for the last fouryears I have had this fear building up concerning the winter weather, in particular thesnow. This winter has brought it to a head and although I have fought hard against it, Ihave been absolutely terrified since 8 December."

She went on to ask questions about the climate. obviously hoping for re­assurance. As this seemed to be a topic which might interest a large number of people.we contacted her and asked whether she would be prepared to appear on television totalk about her problems. This she consented to do because she felt there might beother people with the same phobia who would feel less isolated if they knew they werenot unique. She told us she had suffered from agoraphobia as well as claustrophobiafor many years, for even longer than from weather fear, so altogether her personal lifewas very inhibited.

She never travelled more than a short distance from her home so there was noquestion of her coming to our studios, and I interviewed her on film in her garden. Sheis very articulate and gave a moving description of the feeling of panic that came overher whenever she heard the temperature was going up. She feared it would get hotterand hotter and there would be nowhere she could go to hide from it. She thought of allthe things that could happen, "things you hear about", and related them to herself.

As far as snow was concerned she had a claustrophobic feeling to begin with andher fear increased gradually. The main dread was of being trapped indoors with thesnow covering the house, or alternatively that the snow would be so deep that herfamily would be trapped outside and unable to get home. She had never experiencedany temperatures high enough to cause distress, and her only bad snow experience wasone day four years ago when a short-lived fall of snow in Boumemouth prevented her

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going by car to see her daughter in hospital. She told me that in winter and summer shewatched every television weather forecast on all channels, listened to every radioforecast she knew about, read the newspaper forecasts, and even phoned for forecasts.She wrote most of them down.

The psychiatrist we consulted had never heard of this phobia before, although ofcourse he knew of people who were afraid of thunderstorms. He suggested somepossible general lines of treatment.

Since we broadcast the interview I have received only one letter from a weathersufferer, a lady from Christchurch in Dorset who is always affected when there is "abig hurricane or earthquake in my part of the world." She said she does not experienceany mental anxiety or apprehension, but becomes "physically more or less floppedout." She has difficulty in walking and is generally unable to cope with things. Howev­er, as soon as she hears that the earthquake has happened or the hurricane gone, sherecovers and is quickly back to normal. This has been her experience each time for thepast ten years.

I wonder if there are any other weather-phobics?Television South TREVOR BAKERSouthampton

LOUD PHOTOGRAPH

Photograph by J. H. Williams.

Cumulus congestus and cumulonimbus calvus producing an early morning shower over the En­glish Channel August 1971.

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