McKenzie Larson

I am interested in studying synoptic and mesoscale meteorology in graduate school. In particular, I am eager to expand our knowledge of extratropical cyclones and the jet stream. After studying downslope winds along the Colorado Front Range for my NOAA Ernest F. Hollings internship and expanding upon this research for my undergraduate Honors Thesis (awarded summa cum laude), I plan to continue studying high-impact weather in this region. My graduate school research project involves improving operational weather forecasts for cyclones along the Colorado Front Range. Many believe that the “cyclone problem” has been resolved, but this is far from the truth as there are still many different aspects of cyclones we do not yet fully understand. I want to better understand the physical processes associated with cyclones in this region and will create a real-time website to assist forecasters when they are creating their forecasts. Furthermore, I would like to extend this study to a future climate scenario to examine how cyclone characteristics change in a warmer climate. It is imperative that we improve forecasting these storms as they put lives and property at risk.