What is the Fujiwhara Effect? Rare storm event is nearing East Coast

"The phenomenon is called the Fujiwhara Effect and it typically takes place when two tropical cyclones get within 900 miles of each other, close enough for them to start 'feeling' each other's presence in the ocean. The storms might rotate around a common point between them, like two hurricanes doing a slow dance. In some cases, a stronger storm might absorb a weaker one, creating an even more massive weather event than either storm would have been on their own."

"The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned that the two tropical disturbances brewing in the Atlantic, dubbed Invest 93L and Invest 94L, both have a more than 80 percent chance of developing into named storms by next week. Invest 93L, has been developing in the middle of the Atlantic and forecasters have said there's a 90 percent chance it'll become a tropical depression by Friday."

Two tropical disturbances in the Atlantic, Invest 93L and Invest 94L, each have over an 80 percent chance of becoming named storms within days. The Fujiwhara Effect can occur when two cyclones move within roughly 900 miles, causing them to rotate around a common center, merge, or dramatically alter tracks. A stronger system can absorb a weaker one and intensify, while similarly sized systems can repel and move unpredictably. Invest 93L is in the central Atlantic and has about a 90 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression by Friday. Invest 93L is under 1,000 miles from the Lesser Antilles and could become a tropical storm at 39 mph or a hurricane if winds reach 74 mph or higher. Such dual interactions are rare near the U.S. East Coast since 1995 but could produce severe, hard-to-predict impacts for millions.

Read at Mail Online