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Sept. 10, 2018 UA Experts Available to Comment on Hurricane Florence |
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TUCSON, Ariz. — Hurricane Florence was upgraded from a Category 3 to a Category 4 hurricane on Monday, prompting mandatory evacuations of the South Carolina coastline and parts of North Carolina. The potentially life-threatening storm is on track to make landfall on the East Coast late Thursday or Friday. University of Arizona hurricane experts Xubin Zeng and Thomas Galarneau are available to comment on the hurricane. The UA's hurricane forecasting model, co-developed by Zeng, has proven to be extremely accurate over the last four years. This year's model predicted a below-average number of hurricanes for the 2018 season, which runs through Nov. 30. Researchers predicted four hurricanes – two of which will be major hurricanes, defined as those reaching Category 3, 4 or 5. Hurricane Florence is the first major Atlantic hurricane this year. Zeng is director of the UA's Climate Dynamics and Hydrometeorology Center, a professor of atmospheric sciences and the Agnes N. Haury Endowed Chair in Environment in the UA Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. Galarneau is an assistant professor in the UA's Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. ### |
| Researcher contacts: Xubin Zeng UA Climate Dynamics and Hydrometeorology Center 520-661-8680 xubin@email.arizona.edu Thomas Galarneau Media contact: |
| Established in 1885, the University of Arizona, the state's super land-grant university with two medical schools, produces graduates who are real-world ready through its 100% Engagement initiative. Recognized as a global leader and ranked 16th for the employability of its graduates, the UA is also a leader in research, bringing more than $622 million in research investment each year, and ranking 21st among all public universities. The UA is advancing the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships, and is a member of the Association of American Universities, the 62 leading public and private research universities. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $8.3 billion annually. |
