Robert Trapp

Contact Information

3062 Natural History Building

+1.217.300.0967

jtrapp@illinois.edu

Research Areas

Climate Variability and Change

Cloud Physics and Radiative Processes

Thunderstorm Dynamics and Hazards

Weather and Climate Risk

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Biography

Dr. Trapp is a Professor and Head of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining Illinois in 2014, he was a Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Purdue University from 2003-2014, and a research scientist with the National Severe Storms Laboratory (through the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies) in Norman, Oklahoma from 1996-2003. Four years of his tenure with NSSL were spent as a visiting scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.

Dr. Trapp's research interests include the dynamics and observations of mesoscale convective systems, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes; mesoscale modeling and predictability.

Trapp received his B.S. degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, M.S. degree from Texas A&M University, and Ph.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma. He was a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow.

Education

Ph.D. in Meteorology, The University of Oklahoma, 1994
M.S. in Meteorology, Texas A&M University, 1989
B.S. in Agriculture/Atmospheric Science, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1985

External Links

https://jtrapp.web.illinois.edu/

Recent Publications

Lasher-Trapp, S., Jo, E., Allen, L. R., Engelsen, B. N., & Trapp, R. J. (2021). Entrainment in a Simulated Supercell Thunderstorm. Part I: The Evolution of Different Entrainment Mechanisms and Their Dilutive Effects. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 78(9), 2725-2740. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-20-0223.1

Raupach, T. H., Martius, O., Allen, J. T., Kunz, M., Lasher-Trapp, S., Mohr, S., Rasmussen, K. L., Trapp, R. J., & Zhang, Q. (2021). The effects of climate change on hailstorms. Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, 2(3), 213-226. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-00133-9

SCHUMACHER, RUSS. S., HENCE, DEANNA. A., NESBITT, STEPHEN. W., TRAPP, ROBERT. J., KOSIBA, KAREN. A., WURMAN, JOSHUA., SALIO, PAOLA., RUGNA, MARTIN., VARBLE, ADAM. C., & KELLY, NATHAN. R. (2021). Convective-storm environments in subtropical south america from high-frequency soundings during relampago-cacti. Monthly Weather Review, 149(5), 1439-1458. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-20-0293.1

Wurman, J., Kosiba, K., Pereira, B., Robinson, P., Frambach, A., Gilliland, A., White, T., Aikins, J., Trapp, R. J., Nesbitt, S., Hanshaw, M. N., & Lutz, J. (2021). The Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets (FARM). Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 102(8), E1499-E1525. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0285.1

Borque, P., Nesbitt, S. W., Trapp, R. J., Lasher-Trapp, S., & Oue, M. (2020). Observational Study of the Thermodynamics and Morphological Characteristics of a Midlatitude Continental Cold Pool Event. Monthly Weather Review, 148(2), 719-737. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-19-0068.1

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In The News

Research Highlight: Controls of Quasi-linear Convective System Tornado Intensity
Although tornadoes produced by quasi-linear convective systems (QLCSs) generally are weak and short-lived, they have high societal impact due to their proclivity to develop over short time scales, within the cool season, and during nighttime hours. Precisely why they are weak and short lived is not...
Illinois researchers develop new technique for extended range prediction of tornado activity
The subseasonal timescale, residing between the time scales of weather forecasts and seasonal outlooks, has long been considered a “predictability desert.” Prediction on this timescale is important for decision makers in a variety of sectors. While most research on subseasonal prediction has...
Putting tornadoes under the microscope
For most of us, tornado sirens and severe thunderstorm warnings mean that it’s time to hunker down and hope that the damage is minimal. Fortunately, there are people such as (Robert) Jeff Trapp, head of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, who are trying to learn as much as possible about these...
Chasing the world's most powerful thunderstorms
Scientists know a lot about weather. However, there is still one aspect that isn’t totally understood: the initiation and development of thunderstorms. That’s why atmospheric scientists at Illinois are soon heading to a small, geographical area in western Argentina to study what are considered the...
Study finds possible connection between U.S. tornado activity, Arctic sea ice
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The effects of global climate change taking place in the Arctic may influence weather much closer to home for millions of Americans, researchers report. The United States has experienced many changes in severe-weather behavior over the past decade, including fewer tornado...