Experts Advisory: The 2016 Hurricane Season

As the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season begins, scientists at NOAA are expecting about 12 named storms and two major hurricanes.

ALBANY, NY (June 7, 2016) -- With the hurricane season officially upon us and a tropical storm bearing down on Florida’s north coast, weather forecasters, government agencies, and coastal dwellers alike are deeply concerned about the frequency and impact of this year's crop of hurricanes.

The following weather experts and faculty of the University at Albany's Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, which comprises the largest concentration of weather research scientists in New York State and one of the largest in the country, can help explain the formation, trajectory, frequency and intensity of North American hurricanes, and what we might expect for the 2016 season.

Some of these experts include:

• Kristen Corbosiero, assistant professor: Corbosiero studies the structure and intensity change of tropical cyclones using both observational data sets and high-resolution numerical models. Specifically, she is interested in understanding the physical processes responsible for the formation of hurricane rain bands and secondary eyewalls, and how tropical cyclones respond to, and evolve in, vertical wind shear. In addition, Corbosiero is researching the mechanisms of rapid intensity change in hurricanes, and the impact of recurving eastern North Pacific tropical cyclones on the North American Monsoon System.
• Brian Tang, assistant professor: Tang focuses on aspects of tropical cyclones, including their formation, intensification, and interaction with other components of the climate system. His interests lie with how vertical wind shear weakens tropical cyclones through ventilation, how tropospheric moisture affects the development of tropical disturbances, and what sets the variability of tropical disturbances and genesis productivity globally and regionally.
• Christopher Thorncroft, professor and chair: Thorncroft's research is focused on improving our understanding of West African monsoons and how they impact Atlantic tropical cyclone variability. The research spans a wide range of timescales and focuses on understanding the physical processes that impact the nature and variability of African easterly waves (AEWs). This includes a special emphasis on how AEWs interact with mesoscale convective systems and ultimately how this affects the probability that AEWs will help spawn tropical hurricanes and cyclones.

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