Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences professor Robert Fovell, along with doctoral student Yang Cao and postdoctoral researcher Scott Capps were part of a research team that developed a new tool to classify the fire threat potential of hot, dry Santa Ana winds. The three performed modeling of Santa Ana wind events dating back decades.
“This effort has led to an enhanced understanding of the evolution of the Santa Ana winds, their potential for sparking and spreading fires, and their spatial and temporal variation,” said Fovell. “We not only have a new, deeper understanding of how the San Diego-area terrain influences weather, especially wind, which is crucial to SDG&E’s operations, but we also have been able to make improvements in weather modeling that will benefit forecasters around the world.”
More information can be found on UCLA’s Newsroom Press Release.