What is the Fujiwara effect? Two hurricanes are approaching the US coast in a rare phenomenon.

Arab Weather - In recent days, the attention of monitoring centers around the world has been drawn to a rare phenomenon in the Atlantic Ocean near the US coast, as Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda approach each other. The Arab Weather Center noted that this phenomenon is known as the Fujiwara Effect, an exciting weather phenomenon that is rarely observed, but can have significant impacts on hurricane paths and vulnerable coastal areas.

What is the Fujiwara effect?

The Fujiwara Effect is a phenomenon that occurs when two cyclones or tropical systems approach each other within a certain distance. They begin to rotate around a common center. If the two cyclones are close in strength, they may orbit each other until they merge into a single, larger cyclone, or they may separate in different directions. If one cyclone is stronger than the other, the weaker cyclone often orbits the stronger one until it is completely absorbed. This phenomenon is rare because it requires special conditions: the formation of two tropical cyclones close in time and geography in the same region.

The phenomenon is named after Japanese scientist Sakuhei Fujiwara, who first described it in 1921. Since then, it has become a well-known phenomenon in tropical cyclone dynamics.

Current status: Humberto and Imelda

• Humberto: A relatively strong hurricane has formed in the Atlantic Ocean and is moving northwest.
• Imelda: A developing tropical system that is expected to intensify into a hurricane in the coming days.

According to initial forecasts, Imelda may orbit Humberto due to the Fujiwara Effect. Some weather models showed that this interaction could shift Imelda's path, moving it away from the East Coast of the United States. However, more recent models indicate that it may head toward the Carolinas, increasing the risk of flooding and storm surges there.

Why is this phenomenon important?

• Impact on track: The interaction between two hurricanes may change their direction in a way that is difficult to accurately predict.
• Strengthening: In some cases, two hurricanes merge into one more powerful and larger hurricane.
• Coastal Hazards: For the US coast, this phenomenon means inaccurate forecasts regarding the path of the two tropical systems.