Email: rotunno@ucar.edu
Phone: 303-497-8904
Office: Foothills Laboratory, FL3-3024
Address: 3090 Center Green Dr, Boulder, CO, 80301

Biography


Rich Rotunno is a Senior Scientist in the Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Laboratory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. He received a Ph. D. in 1976 in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics from Princeton University. Rich's research has ranged over a wide variety of topics in mesoscale dynamical meteorology including tornadoes, rotating thunderstorms, squall lines, hurricanes, polar lows, midlatitude cyclones, fronts, mountain-valley and sea-breeze circulations and coastally trapped disturbances in addition to a variety of related problems such as the dynamics of density currents, vortex stability, convection and atmospheric predictability. Through a combination of theory and numerical modeling, his work is directed at the understanding needed to make progress in the forecasting of mesoscale weather phenomena. Rich is a two-time recipient of the American Meteorological Society's Banner I. Miller Award (1991 with K. Emanuel and 2010 with G. Bryan). Rich is also the recipient of the American Meteorological Society's Jule G. Charney Award (2004), Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal (2017) and Lifetime Achievement Award (2018) for his research in severe local storms. In 2023, he was elected to the U. S. National Academy of Science

Rich has been an active participant on national and international committees and in summer schools and colloquia concerning the science of weather and weather forecasting. Recent scientific activities have focused on tropical cyclones, orographic precipitation and atmospheric predictability.

Selected Publications


Tornadoes

Near Ground Vertical Vorticity in Supercell Thunderstorm Models
R. Rotunno, P. M. Markowski and G. H. Bryan 2017
J. Atmos. Sci., 74, 1757-1766. PDF available

Numerical Simulations of a Tornadic Supercell over the Mediterranean
M. M. Miglietta, J. Mazon and R. Rotunno 2017
Weather and Forecasting, 32, 1209-1226. PDF available

An Eddy Injection Method for Large-Eddy Simulations of Tornado-Like Vortices
G. H. Bryan, N. A. Dahl, D. S. Nolan and R. Rotunno 2017
Mon. Wea. Rev., 145, 1937-1961. PDF available

Tornado Vortex Structure, Intensity, and Surface Wind Gusts in Large-Eddy Simulations with Fully Developed Turbulence
D. S. Nolan, N. A. Dahl, G. H. Bryan and R. Rotunno 2017
J. Atmos. Sci., 74, 1753-1797. PDF available

Axisymmetric tornado simulations at high Reynolds number
R. Rotunno, G.H.Bryan, D.S. Nolan and N.A. Dahl 2016,
J. Atmos. Sci., 97, 3843-3854. PDF available

An EF3 multi-vortex tornado over the Ionian region: is it time for a dedicated warning system over Italy?
M. M. Miglietta and R. Rotunno 2016,
Bull. Amer. Met. Soc., 97, 337-344. PDF available

Secondary circulations in rotating-flow boundary layers.
R. Rotunno 2014,
Aust. Met. Ocean. J., 6, 27-35. PDF available

The fluid dynamics of tornadoes.
R. Rotunno 2013,
Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech., 45, 59-84. PDF available

Hurricanes

Why Do the Maximum Intensities in Modeled Tropical Cyclones Vary Under the Same Environmental Conditions?
Tao, D., R. Rotunno, M. Bell and P. J. Van Leeuwen, 2020,
Geophysical Research Letters, 47, e2019GL085980. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085980 PDF available

Evolution of an Axisymmetric Tropical Cyclone before Reaching Slantwise Moist Neutrality
Peng, K., R. Rotunno and G. H. Bryan 2019,
J. Atmos. Sci., 76, 1865-1884. PDF available

Evaluation of a time-dependent model for the intensification of tropical cyclones
Peng, K., R. Rotunno and G. H. Bryan 2018,
J. Atmos. Sci., 75, 2125-2138. PDF available

Effects of parameterized diffusion on simulated hurricanes
R. Rotunno and G. H. Bryan 2012,
J. Atmos. Sci., 69, 2284-2299. PDF available

Self-stratification of tropical cyclone outflow. Part I: Implications for storm structure.
K. A. Emanuel and R. Rotunno 2011,
J. Atmos. Sci., 68, 2236-2249. PDF available

Large-eddy simulation of an idealized tropical cyclone.
R. Rotunno, Y. Chen, W. Wang, C. Davis, J. Dudhia, and G. Holland 2009,
Bull. Amer. Met. Soc., 90, 1783-1788. PDF available

The maximum intensity of tropical cyclones in axisymmetric model simulations.
G. H. Bryan and R. Rotunno 2009,
Mon. Wea. Rev., 137, 1770-1789. PDF available

An evaluation of an analytic model for the maximum intensity of tropical cyclones.
G. H. Bryan and R. Rotunno 2009,
J. Atmos. Sci., 66, 3115-3060. PDF available

Clouds and Precipitation

Response of Orographic Precipitation to Subsaturated Low-Level Layers.
S. Fu, R. Rotunno and H. Xue, 2019,
J. Atmos. Sci., 75, 3753--3763. PDF available

Diurnal cycle of rainfall and winds near the south coast of China
Y. Du and R. Rotunno 2018,
J. Atmos. Sci., 75, 2065--2082. PDF available

Effects of the Alps and Apennines on forecasts for Po Valley convection in two HyMeX cases
E. Pichelli, R. Rotunno and R. Ferretti 2017,
Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc. (2017) DOI:10.1002/qj.3096 PDF available

Contributions of Moist Convection and Internal Gravity Waves to Building the Atmospheric 25/3 Kinetic Energy Spectra
Y. Q. Sun, R. Rotunno and F. Zhang 2017,
J. Atmos. Sci., 74, 185-201. PDF available

Characteristics and predictability of a supercell during HyMeX SOP1
M. M. Miglietta, A. Manzato and R. Rotunno 2016,
Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc. (2016) DOI:10.1002/qj.2872 PDF available

Expansion of a holepunch cloud by a gravity wave front.
D. J. Muraki , R. Rotunno and H. Morrison 2016,
J. Atmos. Sci., 73, 693-707. PDF available

HyMeX: A 10-year multidisciplinary program on the Mediterranean water cycle.
P. Drobinski,...R. Rotunno... 2014,
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 95, 1063-1082. PDF available

Numerical simulations of sheared conditionally unstable flows over a mountain ridge.
M. M. Miglietta and R. Rotunno 2014,
J. Atmos. Sci.,71, 1747-1762. PDF available

Application of theory to simulations of observed cases of orographically forced convective rainfall.
M. M. Miglietta and.R. Rotunno 2012,
Mon. Wea. Rev., 140, 3039-3053. PDF available

Numerical simulations of conditionally unstable flows over a mountain ridge.
M. M. Miglietta and R. Rotunno 2009,
J. Atmos. Sci., 66, 1865-1885. PDF available

Lessons on orographic precipitation from the Mesoscale Alpine Programme.
R. Rotunno and R. A. Houze 2007,
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 133, 811-830. PDF available

Thermally Driven Circulations

Impact of Vertical Wind Shear on Gravity Wave Propagation in the Land-Sea-Breeze Circulation at the Equator.
DU, Y. R. Rotunno and F. Zhang, 2019,
J. Atmos. Sci., 76, 3247-3265. PDF available

A simple model for the anomalous counterclockwise turning of the surface wind with time over the Great Plains of the United States
Rotunno, R., G. S. Romine and H. B. Bluestein, 2018,
J. Atmos. Sci., 75, 2971-2981. PDF available

On the anomalous counterclockwise turning of the surface wind with time in the Plains of the United States
H. B. Bluestein, G. S. Romine, R. Rotunno, D. Reif and C. Weiss, 2018,
Mon. Wea. Rev., 140, 3039-3053. PDF available

Analysis of WRF-simulated diurnal boundary layer winds in eastern China using a simple 1D model.
Y. Du and R. Rotunno 2015,
J. Atmos. Sci., 72, 714-727. PDF available

A simple analytical model of the nocturnal low-level jet over the Great Plains of the United States.
Y. Du and R. Rotunno 2014,
J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 3674-3683. PDF available

Convectively induced secondary circulations in fine-grid Mesoscale numerical weather prediction models.
J. Ching, R. Rotunno, M.A. Lemone, A. Martilli, B. Kosovic, P.A. Jimenez, and J. Dudhia 2014,
Mon. Wea. Rev., 142, 3284-3302. PDF available

Influence of the Valley Surroundings on Valley Wind Dynamics.
J. Schmidli and R. Rotunno 2012,
J. Atmos. Sci., 69, 561-577. PDF available

Gravity Currents

Gravity currents in confined channels with environmental shear.
G. H. Bryan and R. Rotunno 2014,
J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 1121-1142. PDF available

The optimal state for gravity currents in shear.
G. H. Bryan and R. Rotunno 2014,
J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 448-468. PDF available

Models of non-Boussinesq lock-exchange flow.
R. Rotunno, J. B. Klemp, G. H. Bryan and D. J. Muraki 2011,
J. Fluid Mech., 675, 1-26. PDF available

Orographic Flow

Numerical simulations of two-layer flow past topography. Part II: The Lee Vortices.
R. Rotunno and G. H. Bryan 2020,
J. Atmos. Sci., 77, 965-980. PDF available

Numerical simulations of two-layer flow past topography. Part I: The leeside hydraulic jump
R. Rotunno and G. H. Bryan 2018,
J. Atmos. Sci., 73, 4065-4076. PDF available

Two-layer stratified flow past a valley
R. Rotunno and M. Lehner 2018,
J. Atmos. Sci., 73, 4065-4076. PDF available

Flow regimes over a basin induced by upstream katabatic flows—An idealized modeling study
M. Lehner, R. Rotunno and C.D. Whiteman 2016,
J. Atmos. Sci., 73, 3821-3842. PDF available

THE METCRAX II FIELD EXPERIMENT A Study of Downslope Windstorm-Type Flows in Arizona’s Meteor Crater
M. Lehner and Co-authors 2016,
Bull. Amer. Met. Soc., 97, 217-235. PDF available

Rich Rotunno

All Publications

Curriculum Vitae


Recent Presentations

  • "Anatomy of the Lee Side Hydraulic Jump " (Workshop, Banff International Research Station, Banff, 19 Feb 2018
  • "Severe Convection: From Theory to Applications " (Seminar, UNAM, Mexico City, 17 August 2016)
  • "Exceptional Surface Wind Gusts in a Tropical Cyclone Large Eddy Simulation" (32nd Conf. on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology, 19 April 2016)
  • "Weather Predictability" (96th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, 14 January 2016)
  • "Effects of resolved turbulence in a large eddy simulation of a hurricane " (31st Conf. on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology, 3 April 2014)
  • "Mesoscale Modeling at High (but not LES) Resolution" (NCAR Seminar, 31 October 2013)

    • Summer School Lectures

  • "Ordinary Cells" (Advances in severe weather analysis: models and observations , Castro Marina, Italy, June 2016)
  • "Mesoscale Convective Systems" (Advances in severe weather analysis: models and observations , Castro Marina, Italy, June 2016)
  • "Supercells" (Advances in severe weather analysis: models and observations , Castro Marina, Italy, June 2016)
  • "Tornadoes" (Advances in severe weather analysis: models and observations , Castro Marina, Italy, June 2016)
  • "Fluid Dynamics of Tornadoes: Tornado Observations" (From Severe Convective Weather: Theory and Applications, Castro Marina, Italy, September 2012)
  • "Fluid Dynamics of Tornadoes: Neil Ward's Laboratory Model" (From Severe Convective Weather: Theory and Applications, Castro Marina, Italy, September 2012)
  • "Fluid Dynamics of Tornadoes: Numerical Simulations and Dynamics of Two-Celled Vortices" (From Severe Convective Weather: Theory and Applications, Castro Marina, Italy, September 2012)
  • "Fluid Dynamics of Tornadoes: End-Wall Boundary Layer, Vortex and Corner Flow" (From Severe Convective Weather: Theory and Applications, Castro Marina, Italy, September 2012)
  • "Fluid Dynamics of Tornadoes: Vortex Breakdown & Generalizations" (From Severe Convective Weather: Theory and Applications, Castro Marina, Italy, September 2012)
  • "Fluid Dynamics for Coastal Meteorology" (ModObs Summer School on Air-Sea Interaction, Castro Marina, Italy, June 2007)
  • Dynamical Mesoscale Mountain Meteorology(From Microscale to Mesoscale, Castro Marina, Italy, Sept. 2005)
  • Thermally Driven Circulations (From Microscale to Mesoscale, Castro Marina, Italy, Sept. 2005)
  • Mountain Waves (From Microscale to Mesoscale, Castro Marina, Italy, Sept. 2005)
  • Mountain Lee Vortices (From Microscale to Mesoscale, Castro Marina, Italy, Sept. 2005)
  • Orographic Precipitation (From Microscale to Mesoscale, Castro Marina, Italy, Sept. 2005)