NEW ORLEANS — The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane season, so far, is running above average. There have been 17 named storms since the official start of the season on June 1, plus 1 unnamed subtropical storm that happened back in January. Even with the tropics being so active, most of the systems this season took a similar path out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This is a beautiful thing since they have been avoiding land areas and have spared many potentially devastating impacts.
Right now, it's no different than what we've been seeing a lot this season. Two tropical storms, Philippe and Rina, are making their journey out in the open Atlantic Ocean over the next week. However, this time, it's a little more interesting! Philippe and Rina are close by to one another. When tropical cyclones are in close proximity, they can play a part in each other's future development. Often, this is what is known as the Fujiwhara Effect.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tropical storms and hurricanes that spin close enough to one another in the same direction can do a delicate dance around a shared center. If one cyclone is a lot stronger than the other, the smaller one can orbit it and eventually get eaten by the bigger one. Two storms that are similar in strength can move towards each other until they reach a common point and merge together, or they can shoot off onto their own separate paths. In very rare instances, the storms can come together to create one larger system instead of two smaller ones. The Fujiwhara effect typically happens when tropical cyclones are roughly 350 to 860 miles apart, depending on the size of the storms.
In the case of Rina and Philippe, they are similar in storm strength, and models indicate they may diverge on their own paths and weaken in the open ocean. Fortunately, neither of them will bring any impacts to land.