Kim Wood, Ph.D.
example Python-generated plot of TC-centered fields

education

2012     Ph.D.     Atmospheric Sciences     The University of Arizona  
2009     M.S.     Atmospheric Sciences     The University of Arizona  
2007     H.B.S.     Physics     Oregon State University  

employment since terminal degree

2023 - present     Associate professor     The University of Arizona  
2022 - 2023     Associate professor     Mississippi State University  
2015 - 2022     Assistant professor     Mississippi State University  
2012 - 2015     Postdoctoral research associate     The University of Arizona  

current professional service roles

Member, AMS Committee on Weather Analysis and Forecasting (vice chair, 2025-present)
Member, Unidata Strategic Advisory Committee
Member, UCAR Membership Committee (chair, 2024)
Associate editor for AMS journal Weather and Forecasting

active grants

"CAREER: A Comprehensive Assessment of Over-Ocean Tropical Cyclone Weakening." Funded by NSF, August 2023 - July 2028. $529,671. Click here for the NSF award abstract.

"Collaborative Research: An Object-Oriented Approach to Assess the Rainfall Evolution of Tropical Cyclones in Varying Moisture Environments." Funded by NSF, July 2020 - June 2025. $203,960. A collaborative project with Corene Matyas (University of Florida) and Stephanie Zick (Virginia Tech). Click here for the NSF award abstract.


publications

* indicates co-lead authorship

Addington, K. D., S. E. Zick, K. M. Wood, C. J. Matyas, and K. Berislavich, 2025: Variations in Tropical Cyclone Size and Rainfall Patterns based on Synoptic-Scale Moisture Environments in the North Atlantic. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, accepted.

Evans, C., and K. M. Wood, 2025: Weather Phenomena: Extratropical Transitions. Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences, 3rd Edition. J. W. Martin, Ed. Elsevier, in press, doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-96026-7.00199-5.

Matyas, C. J., D. Kim, S. E. Zick, and K. M. Wood, 2025: Four moisture patterns surrounding Atlantic hurricanes revealed by deep learning: Their characteristics and relationship with hurricane intensity and precipitation. Atmospheric Research, 322, 108114, doi:10.1016/j.atmosres.2025.108114.

Frazier, A. G., A. R. Lustig, M. Chang, E. H. Elias, R. A. McPherson, V. W. Keener, Z. N. Grecni, H. P. Huntington, E. L. Mecray, K. M. Wood, K. D. Dello, P. Chardón-Maldonado, and D. D. White, 2025: Reflections on preparing regional chapters for NCA5. Climatic Change, 178, 72, doi:10.1007/s10584-025-03874-y.

Matyas, C. J., S. E. Zick, and K. M. Wood, 2025: Comparing Reflectivity from Space-Based and Ground-Based Radars During Detection of Rainbands in Two Tropical Cyclones. Atmosphere, 16, 307, doi:10.3390/atmos16030307.

Sala, J., D. Giglio, A. Hu, M. Kuusela, K. M. Wood, and A. B. Lee, 2024: Upper-ocean changes with hurricane-strength wind events: a study using Argo profiles and an ocean reanalysis. Ocean Sci., 20, 1441–1455, doi:10.5194/os-20-1441-2024.

Wood, K. M., and C. J. Schreck, 2024: Eastern North Pacific and Central North Pacific basins [in “State of the Climate in 2023”]. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 105, S245–S248, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-24-0098.1.

Klotzbach, P. J., J. J. Jones, K. M. Wood, M. M. Bell, E. S. Blake, S. G. Bowen, L.-P. Caron, D. R. Chavas, J. M. Collins, E. J. Gibney, C. J. Schreck, and R. E. Truchelut, 2024: The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season: An Above-Normal Season Despite Strong El Niño Conditions. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 105, E1644–E1661, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0305.1.

Hu, A. J., M. Kuusela, A. B. Lee, D. Giglio, and K. M. Wood, 2024: Spatiotemporal methods for estimating subsurface ocean thermal response to tropical cyclones. Adv. Stat. Clim. Meteorol. Oceanogr., 10, 69-93, doi:10.5194/ascmo-10-69-2024.

Wood, K. M., W. Yanase, J. Beven, S. J. Camargo, J. B. Courtney, C. Fogarty, J. Fukuda, N. Kitabatake, M. Kucas, R. McTaggart-Cowan, M. S. Reboita, and J. Riboldi, 2023: Phase transitions between tropical, subtropical, and extratropical cyclones: A review from IWTC-10. Trop. Cyclone Res. Rev., 12, 294-308, doi:10.1016/j.tcrr.2023.11.002.

Hoffman, J.S., S.G. McNulty, C. Brown, K.D. Dello, P.N. Knox, A. Lascurain, C. Mickalonis, G.T. Mitchum, L. Rivers III, M. Schaefer, G.P. Smith, J.S. Camp, and K.M. Wood, 2023: Ch. 22. Southeast. In: Fifth National Climate Assessment. Crimmins, A.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, B.C. Stewart, and T.K. Maycock, Eds. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA, doi:10.7930/NCA5.2023.CH22.

Stackhouse, S., S. E. Zick, C. J. Matyas, K. M. Wood, A. Hazelton, and G. J. Alaka, 2023: Evaluation of Experimental High-Resolution Model Forecasts of Tropical Cyclone Precipitation using Object-Based Metrics. Wea. Forecasting, 38, 2111–2134, doi:10.1175/WAF-D-22-0223.1.

Wood, K. M., 2023: Sidebar 4.2: Tropical cyclone contributions during the 2022 North American monsoon [in “State of the Climate in 2022”]. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 104, S262, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0078.1.

Wood, K. M., and C. J. Schreck, 2023: Eastern North Pacific and Central North Pacific basins [in “State of the Climate in 2022”]. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 104, S239–S243, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0078.1.

McNeely, I. H., P. Khokhlov, N. Dalmasso, K. M. Wood, and A. B. Lee, 2023: Structural Forecasting for Short-term Tropical Cyclone Intensity Guidance. Wea. Forecasting, 38, 985-998, doi:10.1175/WAF-D-22-0111.1.

Rogers, R., J. Courtney, and K. Wood, 2023: The World Meteorological Organization Tenth International Workshop on Tropical Cyclones (IWTC-10): A Summary. Tropical Cyclone Research and Review, 12, 1-9, doi:10.1016/j.tcrr.2023.04.001.

McNeely, T., G. Vincent, K. M. Wood, R. Izbicki, and A. B. Lee, 2023: Detecting Distributional Differences in Labeled Sequence Data with Application to Tropical Cyclone Satellite Imagery. Ann. Appl. Stat., 17, 1260-1284, doi:10.1214/22-AOAS1668.

Klotzbach, P. J., C. J. Schreck, G. P. Compo, K. M. Wood, E. C. J. Oliver, S. G. Bowen, and M. M. Bell, 2023: Influence of the Madden-Julian Oscillation on Continental United States Hurricane Landfalls. Geophysical Research Letters, 50, doi:10.1029/2023GL102762.

Wood, K. M., and C. J. Schreck, 2022: Eastern North Pacific and Central North Pacific basins [in “State of the Climate in 2021”]. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 103, S229–S231, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-22-0069.1.

Truchelut, R. E., P. J. Klotzbach, E. M. Staehling, K. M. Wood, D. J. Halperin, C. J. Schreck, and E. S. Blake, 2022: Earlier onset of North Atlantic hurricane season with warming oceans. Nat. Commun., 13, 4646, doi:10.1038/s41467-022-31821-3.

Klotzbach, P. J.*, K. M. Wood*, C. J. Schreck, S. G. Bowen, C. M. Patricola, and M. M. Bell, 2022: Trends in Global Tropical Cyclone Activity: 1990–2021. Geophys. Res. Lett., 49, doi:10.1029/2021GL095774.

Klotzbach, P. J.*, K. M. Wood*, M. M. Bell, E. S. Blake, S. G. Bowen, L.-P. Caron, J. M. Collins, E. J. Gibney, C. J. Schreck, and R. E. Truchelut, 2022: A Hyperactive End to the Atlantic Hurricane Season: October-November 2020. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 103, E110-E128, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0312.1.

McNeely, T., G. Vincent, R. Izbicki, K. M. Wood, and A. B. Lee, 2021: Identifying Distributional Differences in Convective Evolution Prior to Rapid Intensification in Tropical Cyclones. NeurIPS 2021 Tackling Climate Change with Machine Learning. Link to arXiv version.

Wood, K. M., and C. J. Schreck, 2021: Eastern North Pacific and Central North Pacific basins [in “State of the Climate in 2020”]. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 102 (8), S233–S235.

Mercer, A. E., A. D. Grimes, and K. M. Wood, 2021: Application of Unsupervised Learning Techniques to Identify Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Rapid Intensification Environments. J. Appl. Meteorol. Climatol., 60, 119-138, doi:10.1175/JAMC-D-20-0105.1.

McNeely, T., N. Dalmasso, K. M. Wood, and A. B. Lee, 2020: Structural Forecasting for Tropical Cyclone Intensity Prediction: Providing Insight with Deep Learning. NeurIPS 2020 Climate Change, https://www.climatechange.ai/papers/neurips2020/80.html.

McNeely, T., A. B. Lee, K. M. Wood, and D. Hammerling, 2020: Unlocking GOES: A Statistical Framework for Quantifying the Evolution of Convective Structure in Tropical Cyclones. J. Appl. Meteorol. Climatol., 59, 1671-1689, doi:10.1175/JAMC-D-19-0286.1.

Wood, K. M., and C. J. Schreck, 2020: Eastern North Pacific and Central North Pacific basins [in “State of the Climate in 2019”]. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 101 (8), S212–S214.

Wood, K. M., P. J. Klotzbach, J. M. Collins, L.-P. Caron, R. E. Truchelut, and C. J. Schreck, 2020: Factors Affecting the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season and the Role of the Indian Ocean Dipole. Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, doi:10.1029/2020GL087781.

Fuhrmann, C. M., K. M. Wood, and J. C. Rodgers, 2019: Assessment of storm surge and structural damage on San Salvador Island, Bahamas, associated with Hurricane Joaquin (2015). Nat. Hazards, 99, 913-930.

Wood, K. M., P. J. Klotzbach, J. M. Collins, and C. J. Schreck, 2019: The Record‐Setting 2018 Eastern North Pacific Hurricane Season. Geophys. Res. Lett., 46, doi:10.1029/2019GL083657.

McNeely, T., A. B. Lee, D. Hammerling, and K. Wood, 2019: Quantifying the Spatial Structure of Tropical Cyclone Imagery (No. NCAR/TN-557+STR).

Mercer, A., A. Grimes, and K. Wood, 2018: Multidimensional Kernel Principal Component Analysis of False Alarms of Rapidly Intensifying Atlantic Tropical Cyclones. Proc. Comp. Sci., 140, 359-366.

Leroux, M.-D., K. Wood, R. Elsberry, E. Cayanan, E. Hendricks, M. Kucas, P. Otto, R. Rogers, B. Sampson, and Z. Yu, 2018: Recent advances in research and forecasting of tropical cyclone track, intensity, and structure at landfall. Tropical Cyclone Research and Review, 7, 85–105.

Evans, C., K. M. Wood, S.D. Aberson, H.M. Archambault, S.M. Milrad, L.F. Bosart, K.L. Corbosiero, C.A. Davis, J.R. Dias Pinto, J. Doyle, C. Fogarty, T.J. Galarneau, C.M. Grams, K.S. Griffin, J. Gyakum, R.E. Hart, N. Kitabatake, H.S. Lentink, R. McTaggart-Cowan, W. Perrie, J.F. Quinting, C.A. Reynolds, M. Riemer, E.A. Ritchie, Y. Sun, and F. Zhang, 2017: The Extratropical Transition of Tropical Cyclones. Part I: Cyclone Evolution and Direct Impacts. Mon. Wea. Rev., 145, 4317–4344.

Wood, K. M., and E. A. Ritchie, 2015: A definition for rapid weakening in the North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific. Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 10091-10097.

Wood, K. M., O. G. Rodríguez-Herrera, E. A. Ritchie, M. F. Piñeros, I. A. Hernández, and J. S. Tyo, 2015: Tropical cyclogenesis detection in the North Pacific using the deviation-angle variance technique. Wea. Forecasting, 30, 1663-1672.

Rodríguez-Herrera, O. G., K. M. Wood, K. P. Dolling, W. T. Black, E. A. Ritchie, and J. S. Tyo, 2015: Objective automatic storm tracking based on the deviation-angle variance method. Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, 12, 254-258.

Wood, K. M., and E. A. Ritchie, 2014: A 40-year climatology of extratropical transition in the eastern North Pacific. J. Climate, 27, 5999-6015.

Ritchie, E. A., K. M. Wood, O. G. Rodríguez-Herrera, M. F. Piñeros, and J. S. Tyo, 2014: Satellite-derived tropical cyclone intensity in the North Pacific Ocean using the deviation-angle variance technique. Wea. Forecasting, 29, 505-516.

Wood, K. M., and E. A. Ritchie, 2013: An updated climatology of tropical cyclone impacts on the southwestern United States. Mon. Wea. Rev., 141, 4322–4336.

Gutzler, D.S., K. M. Wood, E.A Ritchie, A.V. Douglas, and M.D. Lewis, 2013: Interannual variability of tropical cyclone activity along the Pacific coast of North America. Atmosfera, 26, 149-162.

Wood, K. M., and E. A. Ritchie, 2012: The unique behavior and precipitation pattern associated with Tropical Storm Ignacio (1997). Mon. Wea. Rev., 140, 3347-3360.

Ritchie, E. A., K. M. Wood, D. S. Gutzler, and S. White, 2011: The influence of eastern Pacific tropical cyclone remnants on the southwestern United States. Mon. Wea. Rev., 139, 192–210.


(page last updated 17 March 2025)