If you feel your chest tighten whenever the sky darkens and rain starts tapping the window, even if severe storms aren’t necessarily expected, you're not alone.

For many people who have lived through extreme weather events, such as a catastrophic tornado, a devastating hurricane or a terrifying wildfire, an ordinary storm can easily feel far from ordinary.

Some studies show that as many as 30-40% of people who have lived through disasters develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and need clinical support.

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"Like all trauma, trauma from weather can impact folks on a spectrum," said counselor Alysa Romano. "Certain weather experiences can be really scary or even just surprising and catch us off guard. And they can also be life-altering."

For some of the most extreme weather events, it is a very human reaction.

 "We know people can lose their homes, they can lose beloved pets, they can lose loved ones in weather experiences," said Romano. But she also pointed out that you don't need to have lost everything for a storm to leave a mark.

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"I think a lot of people can relate to just feeling like your nervous system feels changed after a scary weather experience," she added.

Why a small storm can feel like a big deal

"Our nervous systems are really programmed and are built to protect us," explained Romano. “If you have gone through a serious weather experience, your body is going to alert you when anything even remotely similar is occurring. It may be that you had a hard experience with something like a hurricane, and then just rain, does not feel like just rain anymore."

How to actually cope with it

Romano's advice starts with acknowledging the fear rather than pushing it away, then getting grounded in what's actually happening right now: "What information am I getting? What is my trusted weather source saying? And then, how can I be prepared?"

Knowledge is power, so make sure you get all the facts about what is coming and what the possible outcomes could be.

From there, make a plan for what to do during the storm, and have a plan for what could possibly come next. Being confident in that plan can ease fears of the unknown.

"Be prepared, which requires you to get the information and be in touch with the potential danger, and to make a plan around that," said Romano. "Avoiding that can be dangerous or problematic."

What to watch for in kids

Kids can struggle from the same weather-induced stress as adults, but children process storm fear differently, and often can't put words to it. 

"Kids, just like adults, also want to be validated and understood," said Romano. "There's an old therapy saying: What's hysterical is historical. Even if they're not voicing, 'I'm afraid because this scary thing happened in the past,' that may be coming up for them."

She suggests to gently reassure them that it's understandable to still feel worried. Validate their fears, talk about it and discuss the plan together so the children also know they will be kept safe.

There's no single fix that makes storm anxiety disappear, but for most, Romano said it comes down to two things that are good advice for all of us: "Doing what you need to be informed, and do what you need to stay safe."