Fujiwhara Effect

Fujiwhara Effect Latest News

Two cyclonic storms are predicted to form in the Bay of Bengal, with a potential Fujiwhara interaction.

About Fujiwhara Effect

• The Fujiwhara Effect (also named as the Fujiwhara interaction or the binary interaction) is a natural phenomenon that takes place when two nearby cyclones or hurricanes interact with each other. 
• It was first described by a Japanese meteorologist, Dr. Sakuhei Fujiwhara, in 1921. The phenomenon was thus named after him.
• Many years later, the occurrence was observed in the western Pacific Ocean when typhoons Marie and Kathy merged in 1964.

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What Happens During The Fujiwhara Effect?

• The Fujiwhara Effect can occur when two cyclones form near each other or approach each other close enough to allow the Fujiwhara interaction to take place. 
• Extratropical cyclones can exhibit binary interaction when within a distance of 2,000 km of each other. 
• Tropical cyclones exhibit this type of effect when separated by a distance of less than 1,400 km. 
• During the Fujiwhara interaction, the centers of the two cyclones involved in the phenomenon begin to mutually orbit in a counterclockwise direction about a point between the two cyclones.
• The position of the point is dependent on the intensity and relative mass of the cyclonic vortices. 
• The smaller cyclone involved in the Fujiwhara Effect moves at a faster rate than the bigger one about the central point.
• The Fujiwhara Effect might lead the two cyclones to spiral into the central point and merge with each other, or it might trigger the development of a larger cyclone. 
• The effect might also divert the original path of one or both the cyclones.

Source: DTE