Astraphobia

Astraphobia is an intense, persistent fear of thunder and lightning. It can cause marked distress and avoidance during storms, beyond ordinary caution about dangerous weather.

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Specific phobia: An anxiety disorder marked by intense, persistent fear of a particular object or situation. Astraphobia is classified as a specific phobia when its fear causes significant distress or impairment.
Thunderstorm: A storm that produces lightning and thunder, typically from a cumulonimbus cloud. Thunderstorms provide the sounds and sights that define the feared situation.
Cognitive behavioral therapy: A structured psychotherapy that addresses patterns of thought and behavior associated with emotional distress. It can target catastrophic storm predictions and the avoidance that maintains fear.
Brontophobia: A fear of thunder, sometimes used as a synonym for astraphobia. The term emphasizes thunder, whereas astraphobia commonly includes both thunder and lightning.
Childhood specific phobia: A persistent, impairing fear of a particular object or situation occurring during childhood. Storm fears are common in childhood, but become clinically concerning when unusually intense or enduring.
Classical conditioning: A learning process in which a previously neutral cue comes to elicit a response after being paired with another stimulus. A frightening storm experience can associate thunder or lightning with danger.
Lightning: A sudden electrical discharge in the atmosphere, occurring within or between clouds or between cloud and ground. Lightning is a visual storm cue and a genuine source of danger.
Systematic desensitization: A behavioral method that pairs gradual exposure to feared cues with relaxation skills. Its graduated approach has been used for specific fears, including storm-related fear.
Ceraunophobia: A fear of thunder and lightning, often treated as another name for astraphobia. This near-synonym shows that storm-related phobia has several overlapping names.
Severe weather warning: An official alert advising of hazardous weather that is occurring or expected. Warnings can prompt real protective action while also intensifying distress in someone with astraphobia.