Charles H. Paxton

• PhD
• Science and Operations Officer at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Tropical cyclones create pivotal weather for population centers globally. Although forecasting tropical cyclone tracks has improved, forecasting the exact landfall location and the intensity is still a focus for improvement. The questions for future impacts are related to the global heat balance, which includes shifting development regions, increas...

The presence of a near-record El Niño and a positive Pacific Meridional Mode provided an extraordinarily warm background state that fueled the 2015 eastern North Pacific hurricane season to near-record levels. We find that the western portion of the eastern North Pacific, referred to as the Western Development Region (WDR; 10°–20°N, 116°W–180°), se...

Paxton, C.H. and Collins, J.M., 2014. Weather, ocean, and social aspects associated with rip current deaths in the United States. The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding of the physical and social aspects of rip currents in ocean areas that will lead to better forecasts, better governmental policies in beach areas, and ult...

The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding of the physical and social aspects of rip currents in ocean areas that will lead to better forecasts, better governmental policies in beach areas, and ultimately to save lives. A rip current is a nearshore circulation in which breaking waves run up onto the beach then retreat rapidly...

Sea turtles exhibit behavioral responses to cope with metabolic changes caused by seasonal water temperature fluctuations. Extremely low water temperatures (below 10 °C) may result in a mass hypothermic stunning (cold-stun) event, and a very limited time window exists within which sea turtles can be rescued and rehabilitated. Accurately recognizing...

Pinellas County is a peninsula on the west coast of Florida that receives sea breeze driven convective rainfall during the summer months. To improve forecasting of local mesoscale phenomena, the spatial variability of summer rainfall in Pinellas was examined in relation to dominant wind directions and speeds, atmospheric stability, and atmospheric...

Sea turtles exhibit behavioral responses to cope with metabolic changes caused by seasonal water temperature fluctuations. Extremely low water temperatures (below 10 °C) may result in a mass hypothermic stunning (cold-stun) event, and a very limited time window exists within which sea turtles can be rescued and rehabilitated. Accurately recognizing...

A multi-year clustering is apparent in the location of landfalling hurricanes of Category 2 or greater striking the U.S. Differences in the evolution of hurricane seasons in which landfalls were distinctly on the Gulf of Mexico vs. the Atlantic coast will be presented. Eight seasons with Gulf of Mexico coast landfalls and eight seasons with Atlanti...

One goal of the NWS Integrated Hazard Information Services (IHIS) is to transition the current hazard program from a paradigm of issuing products to one of providing information for decision support. This IHIS project is intended to significantly improve the decision making process of emergency managers and other public officials who manage resourc...

On 16 September 2003, the waves generated by powerful Hurricane Isabel broke along a narrow 10-mi stretch of beaches along southern Palm Beach County. Hurricane Isabel's strong winds produced large ocean swells that traveled west-northwest toward the Bahamas Islands. The swells impacted on the beaches of Eleuthra and Abaco Islands, shielding most o...

On 12 July 1995, a tornado developed over south St. Petersburg, Florida, producing F1 damage and injuring one person before moving offshore. The tornado/waterspout was within 25 km of the Ruskin Florida WSR-88D, which provided detailed radar data. The preconvective environment was characterized by large CAPE and weak to moderate vertical wind shear...

On 25 March 1995, a large solitary wave, seemingly from nowhere, washed ashore along the normally tranquil Gulf Coast of Florida from Tampa Bay to south of Naples. On this Saturday morning, many beachgoers and coastal residents saw either a large wave, a surge, or a seiche. The wave was typically described as 3 m or greater, breaking between 0.5 an...

Average cloud-to-ground lightning flash density values for Florida have been calculated for the 10-yr period 1986-95. An annual mean map and monthly mean maps were constructed from a database exceeding 25 million flashes. These maps represent a 10-yr climatology of the geographic distribution of detected cloud-to-ground lightning flashes and provid...

As part of the National Weather Service (NWS) Modernization and Restructuring Program, WSR-88D (NE- XRAD) Doppler radar installation has been completed at each Weather Service Office in Florida. Recently, this powerful new tool provided unique opportunities for Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and Melbourne NEXRAD Weather Service Office personnel to invest...

Typescript. Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 1997. Includes bibliographical references.