Recent Group News

Aug 17, 2026           Deelan Jeriwala joined the TCBL lab as an M.S. student in Fall 2026.  Welcome, Deelan! 

Jun 1, 2026               Ethan Prunty successfully defended his M.S. thesis, unraveling the unique physical processes that led to the unexpected prelandfall rapid intensification of Hurricane Nicholas (2021). He will continue his PhD studies in the TCBL lab at U. of Arizona starting in Fall 2026. Way to go, TCBLers!! 🎉 

Feb 26, 2026            The TCBL lab attended the AMS 37th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology in SD, CA, with 5 oral presentations and 2 posters. 

Feb 26, 2026            Zeb Leffler successfully defended his M.S. thesis, with his presentation and research receiving high praise from the committee. Way to go, TCBLers!! 🎉 

Feb 17, 2026            Zeb Leffler was honored with the 1st Place Oral Presentation Award, and Ethan Prunty received an Honorable Mention Award for his oral presentation at the 106th AMS Annual Meeting. Dual awardees—congrats!! 🎉 [NEWS]

Feb 1, 2026              The JAS paper on high-wavenumber eddies in the eyewall of simulated Hurricane Earl (2010), coauthored by Xiaomin Chen, has been published. This study provides new insights into the formation of localized extreme surface winds at the eye–eyewall interface.

Jan 24-29, 2026     The TCBL group attended the 106th AMS Annual Meeting, including the  Award Ceremony on Sunday.

Nov 4-6, 2025   Former NOAA/HRD director Dr. Frank Marks visited the TCBL lab and gave the AES seminar "Future Directions on Tropical Cyclone Research". [slides]

Oct 30, 2025   Zeb and Xiaomin were interviewed by the WLRH radio station on the landfall research and record-breaking Hurricane Melissa (2025). [NEWS]

Sep 15, 2025             The GRL paper "Boundary Layer Observations and Near-Surface Wind Estimation during the Landfalls of Hurricanes Ida (2021) and Zeta (2020)" was published. This study proposes a better approach to estimate coastal surface winds by leveraging radar IBL wind retrievals. [NEWS]

Aug 27, 2025            Xiaomin Chen received the AMS Banner I. Miller Award for "developing a high-wind boundary-layer parameterization scheme that advances the intensity, including rapid intensification, and forecast skill of NOAA’s operational hurricane forecast model, HAFS". [NEWS]

Aug 25-29, 2025    Zeb Leffler and Xiaomin Chen presented their recent landfall research at the 41st International Radar Conference on Radar Meteorology in Toronto.

Jun 9, 2025              The GRL paper "Large-Eddy Simulation of Internal Boundary Layers and Near-Surface Wind Estimation During Hurricane Landfalls" was published. This study provides insights into the coastal, near-surface wind profile and quantifies the errors of near-surface wind estimates for the first time. [NEWS]