Kelsey N Ellis
Biographic Data
| ID | 1341319 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kelsey N Ellis |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kelsey N |
| FAMILY NAME | Ellis |
| SIGNATURE | ELLIS K N |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Tennessee at Knoxville |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1699-6132 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 6 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Flood exposure, health outcomes, and recovery needs following Hurricane Helene in Southern Appalachia
The current study examines Hurricane Helene’s inland flooding in Southern Appalachia to generate understanding into flood exposure, health outcomes, and long-term recovery needs. Using a mixed-methods case study design that combined county-level geospatial analysis with a community survey (N = 700), the objectives were threefold: (1) to map flood exposure and vulnerability across rural and urban areas in the region, (2) identify the physical and …
Examining Intraethnic Disparities in Tornado Hazard Understanding, Reception, and Response in Latinx/e Communities in the Southeast United States
The Southeast region in the United States has a high risk for tornadoes and tornado-related losses (e.g., fatalities, injuries, damages). For the public in tornado-vulnerable areas, receiving warning information is essential for seeking protective action during a tornado event. However, for Latinx/e households in the Southeast, social, cultural, and political factors pertaining to language barriers, cultural differences, and trust in public offic…
When Black and Latinx Nashville Residents Became Aware of a Nocturnal Tornado Threat in Middle Tennessee
Tornadoes are more deadly when they occur at night, in part due to lapses in risk communication. Meteorologists encourage having multiple ways to receive a nocturnal warning, requiring individuals to expect and prepare for overnight warnings. We examined when and how 221 Black and Latinx adults learned of a tornado threat during an overnight event in middle Tennessee, in relation to their perceived information barriers and protective actions take…
Relating Weather Trends and Residence Length to Local Climate Change Concerns in Knoxville, Tennessee
Climate change beliefs and concerns are closely tied to socio-demographic traits and personal experience with extreme weather events. Here, we compare survey participants' perceptions of extreme weather trends in Knoxville, Tennessee, with observed trends in extreme weather during their residency. We also assess the relationship between climate change concerns and weather perceptions. We find that perceived weather trends, including hot summer da…
The Climatology, Vulnerability, and Public Perceptions Associated with Overlapping Tornado and Flash Flood Warnings in a Portion of the Southeast United States
Simultaneous and overlapping tornadoes and flash floods are a meteorological hazard with complex societal implications as, when issued at the same time, tornado and flash flood warnings provide conflicting public safety advice. This work assessed potential tornado and flash flood (TORFF) events in a portion of the Southeast from an interdisciplinary perspective with a focus on the climatology, vulnerability, and public perceptions surrounding the…
Intended Response to Tornado Watches among Tennessee Residents
Tornado watches are issued by the National Weather Service when conditions are favorable for tornado formation. Individuals’ responses to a tornado watch may affect their ability to seek shelter before a tornado strikes. Here, survey data of Tennessee residents were used to determine common patterns in intended responses to two tornado watch scenarios: one during daytime, and the other at nighttime. Three common patterns were identified for a day…
Double trouble
Identifying Risk and Resilience Factors Impacting Mental Health among Black and Latinx Adults following Nocturnal Tornadoes in the U.S. Southeast
Prior research has found that Black and Latinx communities in the U.S. face significant disparities that impact both preparedness for severe weather events and the support received after a disaster has occurred. In the current study, we examined key risk and protective factors that impacted mental health among 221 Black and Latinx adult respondents exposed to the 2-3 March 2020 nocturnal tornado outbreak in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Key factor…
Forecaster Perceptions and Climatological Analysis of the Influence of Convective Mode on Tornado Climatology and Warning Success
Tornadogenesis occurs in a variety of storm types, or convective modes, each having a unique climatology and challenges in their detection and warning. Some warnings result in false alarms, meaning that no tornado occurred within the warning polygon. We used a mixed-methods approach to assess how convective mode––discrete supercell, cell in cluster, cell in line, or quasi-linear convective system (QLCS)––affects the tornado climatology and Nation…
Urban flooding, social equity, and “backyard” green infrastructure
Backyard" green infrastructure programs are an innovative way to manage urban stormwater, with many social and ecologic benefits. In many programs, however, residents with lower incomes are not reached, though they could benefit from participation, and though their participation could benefit the socioecological system. We examined awareness of and interest in backyard green infrastructure among lower- and moderate-income residents (N = 234). Awa…
Tornado Warnings at Night
Nocturnal tornadoes are a public health threat, over twice as likely to have fatalities as tornadoes during the day. While tornado warning receipt is an important factor in models of individual behavioral response, receipt of warnings at night has not been studied in the literature to date. This study uses survey data from a random sample of Tennessee residents (N = 1804) who were randomly assigned to day or night versions of a near-identical sur…
Experiences of Urban Environmental Conditions in Socially and Economically Diverse Neighborhoods
Environmental conditions can vary widely in urban areas. Temperature, green space, air quality, and other parameters may have different patterns among and within cities. These conditions may also be experienced and perceived by residents in different ways, with implications for community development and social justice in the context of environmental change. This study examines in-depth interviews (N = 20) with residents from socially and economic…
Heat and Humidity in the City
Daily weather conditions for an entire city are usually represented by a single weather station, often located at a nearby airport. This resolution of atmospheric data fails to recognize the microscale climatic variability associated with land use decisions across and within urban neighborhoods. This study uses heat index, a measure of the combined effects of temperature and humidity, to assess the variability of heat exposure from ten weather st…
Taken by Storm, 1938
Association of Weekly Suicide Rates with Temperature Anomalies in Two Different Climate Types
Annual suicide deaths outnumber the total deaths from homicide and war combined. Suicide is a complex behavioral endpoint, and a simple cause-and-effect model seems highly unlikely, but relationships with weather could yield important insight into the biopsychosocial mechanisms involved in suicide deaths. This study has been designed to test for a relationship between air temperature and suicide frequency that is consistent enough to offer some p…
Experiences of Urban Environmental Conditions in Socially and Economically Diverse Neighborhoods
Environmental conditions can vary widely in urban areas. Temperature, green space, air quality, and other parameters may have different patterns among and within cities. These conditions may also be experienced and perceived by residents in different ways, with implications for community development and social justice in the context of environmental change. This study examines in-depth interviews (N = 20) with residents from socially and economic…
Forecaster Perceptions and Climatological Analysis of the Influence of Convective Mode on Tornado Climatology and Warning Success
Tornadogenesis occurs in a variety of storm types, or convective modes, each having a unique climatology and challenges in their detection and warning. Some warnings result in false alarms, meaning that no tornado occurred within the warning polygon. We used a mixed-methods approach to assess how convective mode––discrete supercell, cell in cluster, cell in line, or quasi-linear convective system (QLCS)––affects the tornado climatology and Nation…
Urban flooding, social equity, and “backyard” green infrastructure
Backyard" green infrastructure programs are an innovative way to manage urban stormwater, with many social and ecologic benefits. In many programs, however, residents with lower incomes are not reached, though they could benefit from participation, and though their participation could benefit the socioecological system. We examined awareness of and interest in backyard green infrastructure among lower- and moderate-income residents (N = 234). Awa…
Association of Weekly Suicide Rates with Temperature Anomalies in Two Different Climate Types
Annual suicide deaths outnumber the total deaths from homicide and war combined. Suicide is a complex behavioral endpoint, and a simple cause-and-effect model seems highly unlikely, but relationships with weather could yield important insight into the biopsychosocial mechanisms involved in suicide deaths. This study has been designed to test for a relationship between air temperature and suicide frequency that is consistent enough to offer some p…
Taken by Storm, 1938
Heat and Humidity in the City
Daily weather conditions for an entire city are usually represented by a single weather station, often located at a nearby airport. This resolution of atmospheric data fails to recognize the microscale climatic variability associated with land use decisions across and within urban neighborhoods. This study uses heat index, a measure of the combined effects of temperature and humidity, to assess the variability of heat exposure from ten weather st…
Experiences of Urban Environmental Conditions in Socially and Economically Diverse Neighborhoods
Environmental conditions can vary widely in urban areas. Temperature, green space, air quality, and other parameters may have different patterns among and within cities. These conditions may also be experienced and perceived by residents in different ways, with implications for community development and social justice in the context of environmental change. This study examines in-depth interviews (N = 20) with residents from socially and economic…
Tornado Warnings at Night
Nocturnal tornadoes are a public health threat, over twice as likely to have fatalities as tornadoes during the day. While tornado warning receipt is an important factor in models of individual behavioral response, receipt of warnings at night has not been studied in the literature to date. This study uses survey data from a random sample of Tennessee residents (N = 1804) who were randomly assigned to day or night versions of a near-identical sur…
Urban flooding, social equity, and “backyard” green infrastructure
Backyard" green infrastructure programs are an innovative way to manage urban stormwater, with many social and ecologic benefits. In many programs, however, residents with lower incomes are not reached, though they could benefit from participation, and though their participation could benefit the socioecological system. We examined awareness of and interest in backyard green infrastructure among lower- and moderate-income residents (N = 234). Awa…
Forecaster Perceptions and Climatological Analysis of the Influence of Convective Mode on Tornado Climatology and Warning Success
Tornadogenesis occurs in a variety of storm types, or convective modes, each having a unique climatology and challenges in their detection and warning. Some warnings result in false alarms, meaning that no tornado occurred within the warning polygon. We used a mixed-methods approach to assess how convective mode––discrete supercell, cell in cluster, cell in line, or quasi-linear convective system (QLCS)––affects the tornado climatology and Nation…
Identifying Risk and Resilience Factors Impacting Mental Health among Black and Latinx Adults following Nocturnal Tornadoes in the U.S. Southeast
Prior research has found that Black and Latinx communities in the U.S. face significant disparities that impact both preparedness for severe weather events and the support received after a disaster has occurred. In the current study, we examined key risk and protective factors that impacted mental health among 221 Black and Latinx adult respondents exposed to the 2-3 March 2020 nocturnal tornado outbreak in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Key factor…
Double trouble
The Climatology, Vulnerability, and Public Perceptions Associated with Overlapping Tornado and Flash Flood Warnings in a Portion of the Southeast United States
Simultaneous and overlapping tornadoes and flash floods are a meteorological hazard with complex societal implications as, when issued at the same time, tornado and flash flood warnings provide conflicting public safety advice. This work assessed potential tornado and flash flood (TORFF) events in a portion of the Southeast from an interdisciplinary perspective with a focus on the climatology, vulnerability, and public perceptions surrounding the…
Intended Response to Tornado Watches among Tennessee Residents
Tornado watches are issued by the National Weather Service when conditions are favorable for tornado formation. Individuals’ responses to a tornado watch may affect their ability to seek shelter before a tornado strikes. Here, survey data of Tennessee residents were used to determine common patterns in intended responses to two tornado watch scenarios: one during daytime, and the other at nighttime. Three common patterns were identified for a day…
When Black and Latinx Nashville Residents Became Aware of a Nocturnal Tornado Threat in Middle Tennessee
Tornadoes are more deadly when they occur at night, in part due to lapses in risk communication. Meteorologists encourage having multiple ways to receive a nocturnal warning, requiring individuals to expect and prepare for overnight warnings. We examined when and how 221 Black and Latinx adults learned of a tornado threat during an overnight event in middle Tennessee, in relation to their perceived information barriers and protective actions take…
Relating Weather Trends and Residence Length to Local Climate Change Concerns in Knoxville, Tennessee
Climate change beliefs and concerns are closely tied to socio-demographic traits and personal experience with extreme weather events. Here, we compare survey participants' perceptions of extreme weather trends in Knoxville, Tennessee, with observed trends in extreme weather during their residency. We also assess the relationship between climate change concerns and weather perceptions. We find that perceived weather trends, including hot summer da…
Examining Intraethnic Disparities in Tornado Hazard Understanding, Reception, and Response in Latinx/e Communities in the Southeast United States
The Southeast region in the United States has a high risk for tornadoes and tornado-related losses (e.g., fatalities, injuries, damages). For the public in tornado-vulnerable areas, receiving warning information is essential for seeking protective action during a tornado event. However, for Latinx/e households in the Southeast, social, cultural, and political factors pertaining to language barriers, cultural differences, and trust in public offic…
Flood exposure, health outcomes, and recovery needs following Hurricane Helene in Southern Appalachia
The current study examines Hurricane Helene’s inland flooding in Southern Appalachia to generate understanding into flood exposure, health outcomes, and long-term recovery needs. Using a mixed-methods case study design that combined county-level geospatial analysis with a community survey (N = 700), the objectives were threefold: (1) to map flood exposure and vulnerability across rural and urban areas in the region, (2) identify the physical and …
Geography (13 works) · Meteorology (10 works) · Tornado (8 works) · Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations (6 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Demography (5 works) · Disaster Management and Resilience (5 works) · Flood Risk Assessment and Management (5 works) · Medicine (5 works) · Sociology (5 works)