Two separate storms in the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storms Laura and Marco, each developing around the same time but in different areas, will deliver a one-two-punch to Louisiana and Texas later this week in a very rare occurrence.
“There have never been two hurricanes in the Gulf at the same time,” WKMG Meteorologist Jonathan Kegges said. “Marco reached hurricane status, but then weakened back into a tropical storm. Thankfully wind shear should prevent history from being made as Marco is not expected to return to hurricane form.
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“Laura on the other hand will have a great chance to do so, potentially impacting the same areas as Marco just two days later. The last time there was a simultaneous landfall in the Gulf was in 1933. It’s really hard to do!”
Along with staring down a double-shot of two storms, last week, residents along the coastline were worrying about how two storms in such close proximity would affect each other.
“It looks as though there will be little chance of a Fujiwara Effect,” said Kegges. “This looked more likely it was going to happen to last week, but Marco sped up and will arrive to the north Gulf Coast about two to three days before Laura. This tends to happen in the Pacific a little more since it’s a bigger basin than the Atlantic.”
The Fujiwara (Fuji-war-ah) Effect is a rare phenomenon that occurs when two or more storms (hurricanes, tropical storms, tropical depressions) converge over a common area and then essentially spin around each other as they each feed off of the other’s energy. Think of it as a kind of “square dance” as the two storms lock arms and swing each other around.
This is not a good thing.
“A lot of times this effect will weaken the storms as each storm produces its own wind shear,” said Kegges. “The outflow from each storm could disrupt the circulation. The biggest thing from an impact standpoint if this effect were to occur would be a significant change in where the storms go. This could change the forecast significantly leading to a very short opportunity to prepare for the storm or storms.”
The phenomenon is named for Dr. Sakuhei Fujiwhara, a Japanese meteorologist, who outlined this theory in 1921 of two systems pivoting around a centralized area. Fujiwhara was the Chief of the Central Meteorological Bureau in Tokyo Japan, shortly after the World War I.
Has this ever happened? Yes, a number of times. Here are a few examples:
- In August of 1955 Hurricanes Connie (a Category 4) and Diane (a Category 2) rotated around each other in a counterclockwise motion in the Caribbean. Connie made landfall in North Carolina about five days before Diane, though Diane was a much costlier storm…
- In September of 1967 Tropical Storms Ruth and Thelma (Pacific Basin) began to spin around each other as the two storms approached a third (Super Typhoon Opal). The three storms eventually spun harmlessly off of the coast of Japan…
- Another example of the Fujiwara Effect occurred in August of 1974, when Hurricanes Ione and Kirsten spun about each other in the eastern Pacific off of the coast of California/Mexico. Kirsten literally doubled back on itself over the course of seven days. This satellite image shows the two storms, Ione on the left and Kirsten on the right.
- In August of 1976 Hurricanes Emmy and Frances “danced” around each other before Emmy was absorbed by Frances. The two storms never reached the U.S. instead spinning up and then dying down in the eastern Atlantic near the Azores. Emmy peaked as a Category 2 storm; Frances as a Category 3.
- In August of 1995, Tropical Storm Iris hooked up with Hurricane Humberto in the Caribbean around the Windward Islands. The storms danced around each other before Iris became a hurricane and Humberto dissipated. But Iris wasn’t done: about a week later, the hurricane then interacted with Tropical Storm Karen, eventually absorbing Karen because that storm was much weaker.
- A Fujiwara Effect was feared in 2004, but did not materialize when both Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley hit Florida almost simultaneously. It was the first time in 98 years (since 1906) the state had been hit with two storms in a 24-hour period. Bonnie hit Florida’s panhandle to the north and Charley made what can only be described as a crazy sudden right turn and hit Charlotte County well to the south.
- In the same 2004 season, four major storms were seen simultaneously spinning either over or in some proximity to the U.S. The four (Ivan, Jeanne, Karl, and Lisa) were viewed on September 22, 2004. Ivan, after running over the Florida panhandle on September 16th, regenerated into a Tropical Depression and made landfall in Texas. Jeanne was re-strengthening and in the middle of its own crazy loop and heading for the east coast of Florida. Karl was at Category 3/Category 4 strength out in the middle of nowhere. Tropical Storm Lisa was just starting to weaken into a Tropical Depression. Of those four storms, there was a slight Fujiwara Effect involving Karl and Lisa. Of note, six years earlier (September 25, 1998), satellites photographed four hurricanes (each with sustained winds of over 75 mph) simultaneously spinning in the Atlantic basin. For trivia buffs, three of those storms had the same names as the 2004 storms: Ivan, Jeanne, and Karl.
- Satellite imagery (above) in August of 2014 saw the Fujiwara Effect in action in the Eastern Pacific between Tropical Storms Karina and Lowell.
Along with the Fujiwara Effect pinwheeling one, two or three storms, systems can also more powerful storms can also swallow up a weaker system. And one final note: the Fujiwara Effect can occur with non-tropical storms also (an example being two storms interacting on the eastern coast of the U.S. around Christmas of 1994).
Marco is on track to make landfall in Louisiana tonight south of New Orleans as a tropical storm with winds around 50 mph. Laura could strengthen to as much as a Category 2 storm (with winds as high as 105 mph) and is on a path to make landfall Wednesday into Thursday somewhere along the Louisiana/Texas coastline.