Ombrophobia

Ombrophobia is an irrational fear of rain.

Ombrophobia sufferers may have the following symptoms:
 * Inability to think or speak clearly
 * Uncontrollable feelings of panic, anxiety or dread
 * Dry mouth
 * Difficulty breathing
 * Rapid heartbeat
 * Trembling or muscle tension

Sufferers who are severely ombrophobic may feel anxiety or panic attack.

Like every other phobias, ombrophobia tend to originate during the childhood through traumatic experiences involving rain. Rainy days may make people depressed due to the darkened skies, and may gradually develop into ombrophobia depending on the frequency of rain, with more frequent rain causing ombrophobia to develop quicker. A more serious cause for fear is rain could make people sick and may link with fear of disease (nosophobia). Another, rather exotic cause of ombrophobia is getting burns from acid rain. Some ombrophobes also suffer from fear of drowning (aquaphobia) and fear of flooding (antlophobia).

Sufferers of ombrophobia would want to check weather forecasts and radar, then watch the skies often for any approaching dark clouds, or looking for lightning at night. When rain hits, ombrophobes may want to avoid going out.

Ombrophobia can commonly be treated professionally, including exposure therapy (which involves exposing to rain harmlessly), group therapy (in which ombrophobes talk to each other about their experiences), and even learning new ways of breathing.