Frank P. Colby

Frank P. Colby is a Professor in the Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell's Kennedy College of Sciences. His expertise includes weather modeling, boundary layer meteorology, and tropical meteorology. He serves as the Transfer Coordinator for the department.

• Ph.D. in Meteorology (1983) from MIT
• M.S. in Meteorology (1979) from MIT
• B.S. in Mathematics and Physics (1976) from the University of Michigan

Colby's research focuses on extreme weather phenomena such as nor'easters, snow squalls, tropical storms, and hurricanes. He investigates ensemble modeling, large eddy simulation of the atmospheric boundary layer, forecast model errors, and cold front dynamics. His work often addresses regional climate impacts on weather systems.

Recent publications highlight trends in hurricane forecasting, snow squall climatology, weather regime clustering, and precipitation dynamics. Key subfields include tropical cyclone sensitivity, weather regime analysis, and terrain effects on storm tracks.

Colby has secured multiple research grants for weather and precipitation data projects (2011, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006) as principal investigator. He actively contributes to operational meteorology and educational initiatives.

He co-developed student-led weather forecast dissemination programs and real-time weather data systems for precollege education. His collaborations span institutions like MIT and the University of Michigan.