UAH researcher recognized for advances in hurricane science and forecasting

HUNTSVILLE – An assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Earth Science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville has been recognized with the Banner I. Miller Award from the American Meteorological Society, one of the highest honors in hurricane science.

A study by Dr. Xiaomin Chen, the principal investigator in UAH’s Earth System Science Center, was published in the journal of the American Meteorological Society. The study led to more realistic forecasts of storm structure and significant improvements in predicting rapid intensification when a hurricane strengthens dramatically over a short time.

The award, shared with colleagues at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Research Division, highlights their research on how to better represent the turbulent boundary layer – the lowest part of the atmosphere – in NOAA’s next-generation hurricane forecast model, the Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System.

Chen and his NOAA HRD colleagues will officially receive the honor at the AMS Annual Meeting in Houston in January.

Chen said he is driven by a clear mission: to make hurricane forecasts more accurate and more useful for the people who depend on them. He said rapid intensification is one of the most dangerous hurricane behaviors, especially for storms nearing landfall.

“In just a day, a storm can go from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane,” Chen said. “Our research gives forecasters a better tool to anticipate that kind of change, and we’ve already seen it help in recent cases.”

The scientist is expanding his research beyond storm intensification to focus on what happens as hurricanes move from ocean to land. While hurricanes weaken once they lose their ocean fuel source, the rate of that weakening and the evolution of wind gusts – especially across complex coastlines – is not well understood.

Chen and his students are studying this transition with support from a new National Science Foundation grant, working to improve forecasts of wind hazards during landfall.

“It’s not just about the science of the storm,” Chen said. “It’s also about how effectively we can communicate risk to people on the ground, sometimes in Spanish or other languages, so they know what actions to take.”

His team is collaborating with the National Weather Service, including the Lake Charles, La., office, and with social scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research to design communication strategies tailored to vulnerable populations.

Chen said every improvement in forecasting means more time for communities to prepare, more lives protected and more resilience in the face of powerful storms. He also emphasized the importance of mentorship at UAH. His students are deeply involved in data collection and analysis, including the use of radar and observational tools during the hurricane season.

For Chen, the recognition is a career milestone and a reminder of the responsibility that comes with the work.

“That’s why I’m proud to do this work at UAH,” he said. “Because what we do here truly matters.”