When two hurricanes come close enough to each other, they interact through a phenomenon known as the Fujiwhara effect. This causes the storms to begin an intense "dance" around a common center, where they rotate cyclonically around each other due to their similar spin directions
. What happens next depends on the relative strength and size of the hurricanes:
- If one hurricane is significantly stronger, the smaller or weaker storm will orbit the stronger one and eventually be absorbed into its vortex, effectively merging into a single system dominated by the larger hurricane
- If the two hurricanes are of similar strength, they may orbit each other for a while and then either merge into one larger storm or separate and move off on different paths
- In rare cases, the interaction can be additive, resulting in a larger, more powerful storm formed from the merger of the two hurricanes
This interaction typically occurs when the storms are within about 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) of each other
. The Fujiwhara effect has been observed in real events, such as the 2017 Pacific hurricanes Hilary and Irwin, which merged before dissipating
. A true "head-on collision" of two hurricanes is not physically possible in the conventional sense, but their interaction can lead to complex and sometimes devastating outcomes for areas in their path
. In summary, two hurricanes close enough to interact will either orbit each other, merge into one larger storm, or one will absorb the other, depending on their relative sizes and strengths. This interaction is called the Fujiwhara effect and is a rare but documented meteorological phenomenon
