Kyle Nardi's hometown is Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. He attends Temple University as a senior with a major in Applied Mathematics. His research interests are numerical modeling, mesoscale atmospheric processes, and regional climate phenomena. Kyle writes, "In January of 2014, a series of avalanches blocked Alaska's Highway 4, which is the only major roadway connecting the city of Valdez to the rest of the state. This event occurred after a period of above-average temperatures and heavy rainfall. Valdez, the southern terminus of a major oil pipeline, became isolated for several days. A root cause of these conditions was an atmospheric river event affecting the southern coast of Alaska. Narrow corridors of high water vapor transport, atmospheric rivers can produce intense precipitation upon interaction with synoptic-scale disturbances. Recently, these features have gained notoriety for their impacts on the western coast of the contiguous United States. However, little research has focused on atmospheric rivers in the vicinity of southern Alaska. "This summer, I worked with Professor Elizabeth Barnes and graduate student Bryan Mundchek, to study the climatology and impacts of atmospheric rivers near the coast of southern Alaska. Our research found an interesting seasonal cycle in the strength and frequency of atmospheric river events affecting this region. Further analysis highlighted large-scale atmospheric conditions present at the time of these events. In addition, historical records indicated several cases of extreme precipitation caused by atmospheric rivers. Considering the complex topography and poor transportation infrastructure of southern Alaska, it is crucial that forecasters have a deeper understanding of the causes and effects of atmospheric river events." Kyle's summer research poster, The Climatology and Impacts of Atmospheric Rivers near the Coast of Southern Alaska, may be found here. Outside of his studies, Kyle enjoys Hiking, camping, birdwatching, reading, watching baseball, football, and professional wrestling.