Contact Information
1301 W Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801
Biography
I am a second year PhD student in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences. I joined the department in Fall 2021 as an M.S. student and completed that degree in Summer 2023. Prior to attending the University of Illinois, I earned my undergraduate degree in atmospheric sciences from The Ohio State University where I also minored in mathematics and theatre. My research focuses on using satellite and radar observations to analyze processes associated with the formation discrete convective updrafts and subsequently tornadoes within quasi-linear convective systems (QLCSs). This work is funded as part of the Propagation, Evolution, and Rotation in Linear Storms (PERiLS) field campaign which took place in 2022 and 2023. As part of this campaign, our research group deployed mobile radars, mobile mesonets, instrumentation pods, and radiosondes to collect data on developing QLCS tornadoes. My role involved assembling and operating a quickly-deployable C-band radar. These data, along with other observations, are being used to develop a more robust understanding of how these storms form and how they can be forecasted more accurately.
Prior to joining UIUC, I participated in research projects with both the OSU Department of Geography and the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, the latter of which involved installing and maintaining a network of weather sensors across campus to monitor the university's contribution to the urban heat island. I also completed an honors research thesis focusing on the use of GOES satellite data to estimate tornado strength from the size and temperature of overshooting cloud tops. This thesis was a continuation of work that I began through the REU program at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in Summer 2020.
In addition to my research, I'm also a member of the American Meteorological Society where I serve as a student member on both the Committee on Weather Analysis and Forecasting (WAF) and the Board on Societal Impacts (BSI) and as the co-chair of the Board on Student Affairs' Specialty Meetings and Events Committee. I also co-chaired the 33rd WAF/29th NWP Conference in New Orleans, LA in January 2025.
In my free time, I enjoy photography, hiking, and coding up fun side projects.
Research Description
My primary research focus is on tornadogenesis in quasi-linear convective systems (QLCSs), specifically the role of updrafts in the formation and maintenance of these storms. I primarily use multi-radar multi-sensor (MRMS) data to identify and quantify discrete updrafts cores. I've also analyzed radar data and both surface and upper air observations from the PERiLS field campaign to develop a complete picture of the near-storm environment. I'm also developing a classification algorithm which will use MRMS radar data to automatically sort tornado reports by their storm mode and identify radar features associated with each.
In addition to this project, I'm also interested in societal impacts of severe weather; specifically quantifying how socioeconomic variables impact the likelihood of tornado fatalities and how tornado warnings (and specifically tornado emergencies) are issued and interpreted. I'm also working on a project comparing wind loads on low-rise buildings from tornadic versus straight-line winds and have participated in tornado damage surveys with UIUC's Wind Engineering Research Lab.
Additionally, I assist in maintaining and deploying the department's instrumentation for outreach events, courses, and field projects including PERiLS, BEST, and CROCUS.
Education
- PhD Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (in progress)
- M.S. Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (August 2023)
- B.S. Atmospheric Sciences, The Ohio State University (May 2021)
- Minors: Mathematics and Theatre
Awards and Honors
2024 UIUC SESE Research Review: CliMAS Poster Presentation Award – 2nd Place
Courses Taught
Teaching Assistant
- Spring 2022: ATMS 100 - Introduction to Meteorology
- Fall 2021: ATMS 302/PHYS 329 - Atmospheric Dynamics I
External Links
Professional Service
Program Co-Chair - 33rd Conference on Weather Analysis and Forecasting (WAF)/29th Conference on Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), New Orleans, LA (2025)
Committee Co-Chair - AMS Board on Student Affairs Specialty Meeting and Events Committee
Student Committee Member - AMS Committee on Weather Analysis and Forecasting
Student Committee Member - AMS Board on Societal Impacts
Recent Publications
Kosiba, K. A., and Coauthors, 2024: The Propagation, Evolution, and Rotation in Linear Storms (PERiLS) Project. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-22-0064.1, in press.
Recent Presentations
Wolff, E., J. Trapp, and S. Nesbitt (January 2025). Controls of Discrete Convective Updrafts in Quasi-Linear Convective Systems and their Impact on Tornadogenesis. Fourth Symposium on Mesoscale Processes, New Orleans, LA (Oral)
Wolff E., J. Goodnight, L. Blind-Doskocil, and J. Trujillo-Falcón (January 2025). Reflecting on a Decade of Formalized Tornado Emergencies. 33rd Conference on Weather Analysis and Forecasting, New Orleans, LA (Oral)
Wolff, E. and F. Lombardo (February 2024). Comparison of Tornadic and Nontornadic Wind Loading as Characterized by ASCE 7-22. 2024 SESE Research Review, Urbana, IL (Poster)
Wolff, E., J. Trapp, and S. Nesbitt (January 2024). Satellite and Radar-Based Tools for Predicting Regions of Tornadogenesis within QLCSs. 2nd Symposium on the Future of Weather, Forecasting, and Practice, Baltimore, MD (Poster)