Two tropical cyclones are barreling through the Atlantic on a potential collision course — and if they clash, a freak weather event merging them into one monster storm could wreak havoc along the East Coast.
But if these two storms get too close, they could trigger the rare phenomenon known as the Fujiwhara Effect.
What happens next depends on each system’s size and strength — but in rare cases, they can smash together and create one giant super-storm, according to the National Weather Service.
However, if the storms are evenly matched, they’ll whirl around a shared point before breaking apart and fading — just like Pacific Hurricanes Hilary and Irwin in 2017.
nypost.com
But if these two storms get too close, they could trigger the rare phenomenon known as the Fujiwhara Effect.
What is the Fujiwhara Effect?
The wild weather anomaly — named after Japanese meteorologist Sakuhei Fujiwhara in 1921 — sparks when two cyclones come within 900 miles of each other and begin spinning around a shared center in what meteorologists liken to an erratic dance.What happens next depends on each system’s size and strength — but in rare cases, they can smash together and create one giant super-storm, according to the National Weather Service.
However, if the storms are evenly matched, they’ll whirl around a shared point before breaking apart and fading — just like Pacific Hurricanes Hilary and Irwin in 2017.
Two tropical cyclones could collide into monster storm — triggering rare Fujiwhara Effect and threatening East Coast
If these two storms get too close, they could trigger the rare phenomenon known as the Fujiwhara Effect.
nypost.com
