Geospatial Analytics Dissertation Defense Presentation: Laura Tomkins 

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Speaker: Laura Tomkins, Ph.D. candidate | Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University
Defense Presentation Title: Synthesis of Radar-Observed Characteristics, Storm Structures and Surface Snowfall Rates in 10+ Years of Northeast US Winter Storms
Advisor: Dr. Sandra Yuter, faculty fellow and distinguished professor in the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Abstract: Current numerical weather prediction models struggle to accurately predict the timing and intensity of snowfall within winter storms. Much of the previous research on winter weather has focused on case studies and small sample sizes. While case studies of individual storms provide valuable insights, they may not be representative of the different storm processes in a large sample size. We examine 10+ years of meteorological observations in the Northeast US encompassing 264 winter storm days. Information gleaned from weather radar, surface stations and focused observations from research aircraft are used to investigate the relationships among several characteristics of winter storms and snow rates at the surface. We found that heavy snow rates are rare and are not consistently associated with locally enhanced radar reflectivities.