Contact Information
1301 W Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801
Biography
I am a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Sciences. I joined the department in Fall 2021 as an M.S. student before beginning my Ph.D. in Summer 2023. 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 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. While there, 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've also developed a classification algorithm which uses MRMS radar data to automatically sort tornado reports by their storm mode and identify radar features associated with each.
In addition to this research project, I'm also interested in warning communication, specifically with regards to tornado emergencies. Along with researchers from Valparaiso University, we are currently investigating how NWS forecasters make decisions during these particularly impactful events.
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
- Summer 2025: ATMS 324 - Field Studies of Convection
- Spring 2022: ATMS 100 - Introduction to Meteorology
- Fall 2021: ATMS 302/PHYS 329 - Atmospheric Dynamics I
External Links
Professional Service
Committee Member - AMS Ad Hoc Committee on Meeting Location Criteria
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
Trujillo-Falcón, J. E., J. D. Carstens, E. G. Cei, V. Alonso, J. Martucci, E. C. Wolff, and R. De Oliveira Miranda Gomes, 2025: The Emergence of Digital Meteorology: Certification, Standards, and Education for an Evolving Field. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., BAMS-D-24-0235.1, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-24-0235.1, in press.
Christo, G., R. Trapp, S. Nesbitt, L. Di Girolamo, E. C. Wolff, C. R. Homeyer, and Y. Hong, 2025: The Spatial Area and other Attributes of GOES-16 Overshooting Tops as Indicators of Potential Hail. Mon. Wea. Rev., https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-24-0150.1, in press.
Wolff, E. C., R. J. Trapp, S. W. Nesbitt, M. D. Parker, K. A. Kosiba, and J. Wurman, 2025: On Discrete Convective Updrafts and Tornadoes in Quasi-Linear Convective Systems. Wea. Forecasting, 40, 1065–1083, https://doi.org/10.1175/WAF-D-24-0080.1.
Kosiba, K. A., and Coauthors, 2024: The Propagation, Evolution, and Rotation in Linear Storms (PERiLS) Project. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 105, E1768–E1799, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-22-0064.1.
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)