Severe Storm Dynamics

I have been involved in a number of field programs that aimed to better understand the dynamics of severe storms, either through targeted deployments of observational assets in and near supercell thunderstorms (e.g., Targeted Observations by Radars and UAS of Supercells, TORUS) or deployments of mobile and portable near-surface platforms to observe heterogenieties preceeding convection in the southeast U.S. (e.g., VORTEX-SE). These experiences have propelled an interest in engineering platforms designed to observe severe storms (e.g., small, lightweight platforms) as well as the observations obtained that may elucidate new dynamic information to help advance warnings of severe-storm hazards. These interests are being supported by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant through the VORTEX-SE Program.