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Allen, John

Associate Professor

FACULTY

Biography

John Allen is a meteorologist and climate scientist, originally from Sydney, Australia. He completed his B.S. Degree in Earth Sciences (Meteorology and Applied Mathematics) at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and went on to pursue an honors by research in meteorology and subsequently a doctorate at the same institution with support from an Australian Postgraduate Award. In 2013 he began a three-year Postdoctoral appointment at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University, before promotion to Associate Research Scientist, a position he would hold until he joined CMU in the summer of 2016.

Dr. Allen’s research interests span operational forecasting of severe storms to applied analysis of risk statistics, and historic climatology to climate change and variability, and include fieldwork experience as a co-lead of projects funding by the National Geographic Expeditions Council. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Meteorology in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Central Michigan University.

More about John Allen

  • Gensini, V., Barrett, B., Allen, J. T., Gold, D., and P. Sirvatka, 2020: The Extended-Range Tornado Activity Forecast (ERTAF) Project. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, doi: 10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0188.1
  • Molina*, M., and J. T. Allen, 2020: Regionally-Stratified Tornadoes: Moisture Source Physical Reasoning and Climate Trends. Weather and Climate Extremes, doi: 10.1016/j.wace.2020.1002
  • Allen, J. T., Q. Zhang, I. Giammanco, M. Kumjian, P. Groenemeijer, K. Ortega, M. Kunz, H. Punge 2020: Understanding Hail in the Earth System. Reviews of Geophysics, 57, doi: 10.1029/2019RG000665.
  • Piper, D., M. Kunz, J. T. Allen, and S. Mohr., 2019: Temporal variability of thunderstorms in Central and Western Europe is driven by large-scale flow and teleconnection patterns. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 145, 1– 23. doi: 10.1002/qj.3647 
  • Gensini, V. A., Gold, D., Allen, J. T., Barrett, B., 2019: Extended U.S. tornado outbreak during late May 2019: A forecast of opportunity. Geophysical Research Letters, 46, 10150-10158. doi: 10.1029/2019GL084470
  • Molina, M. J.* and Allen, J. T., 2019: On the Moisture Origins of Tornadic Thunderstorms. Journal of Climate, 32, 4321-4346. doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0784.1
  • Robertson, W. M., Allen, J. T., Wolaver, B. D., and J. Sharp, 2019: Aridland spring response to mesoscale precipitation: implications for groundwater-dependent ecosystem sustainability. Journal of Hydrology, 570, 850-862. doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.12.074 
  • Taszarek, M., Allen, J. T., Púčik, T., Groenemeijer, P., Czernecki, B., Kolendowicz, L., Lagouvardos, K., and V. Kotroni, 2019: A climatology of thunderstorms across Europe from a synthesis of multiple data sources. Journal of Climate, 32, 1813-1837, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0372.1
  • Molina, M. J.*, Allen, J. T., V. Gensini, 2018: The Gulf of Mexico and ENSO Influence on Subseasonal and Seasonal CONUS Winter Tornado Variability. In Press, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology. doi: 10.1175/JAMC-D-18-0046.1
  • Witt, A., D. Burgess, A. Seimon, J. T. Allen, J. C. Snyder, H. B. Bluestein, 2017: Rapid-scan Radar Observations of an Oklahoma Tornadic Hailstorm producing extremely large hail. Weather and Forecasting, 33, 1263–1282. doi: 10.1175/WAF-D-18-0003.1
  • Lepore, C., M. K. Tippett, Allen, J. T., 2018: CFS seasonal short range forecasts for severe thunderstorms. Weather and Forecasting, 33, 1283-1297. doi 10.1175/WAF-D-18-0054.1 
  • Edwards, R., J. T. Allen, and G. Carbin, 2017: Estimated convective winds: Reliability and Effects on Severe Storm Climatology. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 57, 1825–1845. doi: 10.1175/JAMC-D-17-0306.1
  • Allen, J. T., Molina, M. J., and, V. Gensini, 2018: Modulation of Annual Cycle of Tornadoes by El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Geophysical Research Letters, 45, doi: 10.1029/2018GL077482
  • Allen, J. T., 2018: Climate Change and Severe Thunderstorms. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science. 67pp. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013. Ed.: Dr. Harold Brooks
  • Childs, S., Schumacher, R., and J. T. Allen, 2018: Cold-season Tornadoes: Climatological and Meteorological Insights. Weather and Forecasting, 33, 671-691. doi: 10.1175/WAF-D-17-0120.1 
  • Gensini, V. A. & J.T. Allen, 2018: United States Hail Frequency and the Global Wind Oscillation. Geophysical Research Letters, 45, 1611–1620. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076822
  • Bedka, K., J. T. Allen, H. Punge, M. Kunz, and D. Simanovic, 2018: A Long-Term Overshooting Convective Cloud Top Detection Database Over Australia Derived from MTSAT Japanese Advanced Meteorological Imager Observations. J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol. 57, 937–951, doi:10.1175/JAMC-D-17-0056.1 
  • Allen, J. T., M. K. Tippett, Y. Kaheil, A.H. Sobel, C. Lepore, S. Nong, A. Muehlbauer, 2017: An Extreme Value Model for United States Hail Size. Monthly Weather Review, 145, 4501–4519, doi: 10.1175/MWR-D-17-0119.1 
  • Lepore, C., M K. Tippett, and Allen J. T., 2017: ENSO-based probabilistic forecasts of March-May U.S. tornado and hail activity. Geophysical Research Letters, 44. doi: 10.1002/2017GL074781 
  • Allen, J. T., 2017: Atmospheric Hazards: Hail Potential Heating Up. Nature Climate Change, 7, 474-475, doi:10.1038/nclimate3327
  • Molina, M.*, Timmer, R. and J. T. Allen, 2016: The Gulf of Mexico's contribution to United States Severe Thunderstorm Activity. Geophysical Research Letters, 43, 12,295–12,304, doi:10.1002/2016GL071603. 
  • Seimon, A., J. T. Allen, T. Seimon, S. Talbot, D. Hoadley and E. Edwards, 2016: Crowd-sourcing the El Reno 2013 Tornado: A new approach for collation and display of storm chaser imagery for scientific applications. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 97, 2069–2084. doi: 10.1175/BAMS-D-15-00174.1
  • 2020 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
  • 2019/2020 Central Michigan University Provost’s Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity
  • 2019 Central Michigan University College of Science & Engineering Award for Outstanding Research
  • 2015 AGU Editors' Citation for Excellence in Refereeing - Geophysical Research Letters
  • 2015 Co-recipient European Severe Storms Laboratory Heini Tooming Award
  • Ph.D., Earth Sciences (Meteorology), The University of Melbourne, 2013
  • B.S., Research Honours (Meteorology), The University of Melbourne, 2008
  • B.S., Meteorology and Applied Mathematics, The University of Melbourne, 2007
Tornadoes, Hail, Climatology, Cyclogenesis, Climate Variability and Change, Crowdsourcing of Meteorological Datasets, Field Observations of Severe Thunderstorms
Severe thunderstorms have shaped the development of communities worldwide, and how these events respond to climatic variations remains an open question. The primary goal of my research program is to understand how severe thunderstorms respond to climate variability and, in doing so, improve quantification of potential risk to life, property and agriculture from the present and future climate perspective. However, to achieve this goal, there are several directions. One of these focuses is expanding and exploring our understanding of the climatology of severe thunderstorms both in the United States and globally, finding new ways to leverage developing or existing technology and observations to contribute to our outstanding. Other areas of interest include the physical mechanisms of how climate change and variability can impact extreme events, including severe thunderstorm frequency or intensity, deriving forecasting insight and guidance from lessons learned using climatology, and applications of our understanding of severe thunderstorms to their impacts on agriculture and the built environment.

Courses Taught

  • MET 140: Severe & Unusual Weather
  • MET 310: Atmospheric Thermodynamics
  • MET 450: Mesoscale Meteorology
  • MET 480: Atmospheric Modeling