Ongoing Research Projects

1. Tornadoes in Landfalling Hurricanes:

Most landfalling tropical cyclones produce tornadoes. Recent research has shown that ambient deep-tropospheric vertical wind shear is a key factor controlling their frequency, damage, and location in tropical cyclones. My present research focuses on addressing the following questions:

  • Why is there an order of magnitude variability in the number of tornadoes produced by tropical cyclones despite similar landfalling location and intensity?
  • Why do tropical cyclones occassionally produce large numbers of tornadoes inland?
  • Why do tornadoes primarily occur in the northeast quadrant of landfalling tropical cyclones?

2. Tropical Cyclone Outer Size:

Tropical cyclones exhibit substantial variability in the outer size of their wind field. Understanding how tropical cyclone outer size will change is crucial to better assessing the hazards and risks associated with landfalling tropical cyclones. Specifically, I am interested in answering the following questions regarding tropical cyclone outer size:

  • How does tropical cyclone outer size change, if at all, during extratropical transition?
  • How will tropical cyclone outer size change in future climates?
  • Which environmental factors influence the tropical cyclone outer size?

3. Multiple Tropical Cyclones:

Tropical cyclones often occur in groups within a given basin. Instances of multiple tropical cyclones can lead to multiple landfalling tropical cyclones within a short period of time straining disaster response resources. My ongoing research focuses on addressing the following questions about concerning multiple tropical cyclones:

  • Why is there generally a consistent horizontal and temporal separation among tropical cyclone formation events during episodes of multiple tropical cyclones?
  • Which environmental factors provide favorable conditions for the occurrence of multiple tropical cyclones?
  • Are there differences in outer size and intensity among tropical cyclones during multiple tropical cyclone episodes?