Weather control
Many superstitions and rituals throughout history have been based on controlling or predicting weather. Stoker’s study of superstitions is likely what caused him to make mention of Dracula’s ability to alter weather patterns.
The doomed ship Demeter, carrying the vampire on-board, becomes awash with mist and Van Helsing himself asserts that: “He can come in mist which he creates, that noble ship’s captain proved him of this, but, from what we know, the distance he can make this mist is limited, and it can only be round himself.”
The use of mist as a harbinger of evil appeared in both literature and an abundance of vampire films and became permanent fixture in the horror genre.
The extent of the supernatural abilities of vampires depended on the strength of the vampire’s will. Particularly strong-willed vampires such as Dracula, for instance, could summon thunderstorms, although the mystical concentration needed to do so left them quite weakened for a time.