Describe the atmosphere presented in the opening few paragraphs of the novel.How is the author able to create such an atmosphere

The novel actually begins with the old standby; it was a “dark and stormy night”. Meg Murry sits in her attic bedroom and contemplates being lowered in her class. She also misses her father and laments the rumors going around about his strange disappearance. The darkness and the wind make her brooding and anxiety worse. The weather outside reflects her own stormy emotions.