Stormy Stevens joined CMMAP this summer from the University of Alabama,
Huntsville. A junior, Stormy is an earth system science major with a minor
in mathematics. This summer he studied the impact of tropical cyclone rainfall
on drought in Alabama with Professor Wayne Schubert.
Consequences of drought in Alabama include, but are not limited to
- Diminished crop growth or yield productions
- Shortages of water for industrial users
- Diminished carrying capacity for livestock
- Wildfires and erosion
- Snake migration and increases in snake bites
- Habitat damage
- Reduced electricity production
In specific regions of Alabama, tropical cyclones can account for as much as
32% of the precipitation in a given year. The impacts of tropical cyclones can
be devastating, yet the precipitation the cyclones transport can have a positive
impact on droughts. Stormy's analysis suggests tropical cyclones help mitigate
droughts and/or keep regions of Alabama from falling into a drought.
Stormy used two sites in Alabama, one in the north (Huntsville WSO AP) and one
in the south (Mobile WSO ARPT). When comparing the rainfall data from tropical
cyclones to the daily precipitation data, he established a close approximation
of the amount of rainfall from each tropical cyclone at each site. he then used
the PDSI and Z Index data from the National Climatic Data Center to compare
droughts and tropical cyclone rainfall. Stormy used the drought data from the
Northern Valley Division and Gulf Division to be representative of Huntsville
and Mobile. The data he used is from 1968 through 2009, focusing on 1999
through 2009. His research poster may be found here:
The Impact of Tropical Cyclone Rainfall on Drought in Alabama
(1MB PDF).
Stormy's other research interests include pollution problems, severe weather,
and climate change. He enjoys sports of any kind, travel, volunteer work
and rock climbing.
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