Why the “Fujiwhara Effect” could spell more rain, wind for parts of North Carolina

WRAL Meteorologists have been tracking a potential hurricane for days now.

This storm, likely to be named Helene, will move into the Gulf where it will grow stronger. It will then move up toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, making landfall Thursday.

After that, it undergoes something unique. It’s called the Fujiwhara Effect.

What is the Fujiwhara Effect?

This is an atmospheric dance (of sorts) in which two storm systems spin around a common point. One becomes the more dominant and takes over.

In the case of Thursday and Friday, there is a strong area of low pressure anchored over the Southern Plains. The storm-likely-to-be-named Helene will be near Florida’s Big Bend. The two will spin around a common point.

The area of low pressure over the Southern Plains then becomes the more dominant feature, essentially absorbing the tropical low as it jaunts westward.

What does it look like?

Below are a couple videos that show this process at play. It’s almost mesmerizing to watch!

Why do we care?

This kind of tug could actually intensify the rain in the mountains of North Carolina, while also dragging strong wind gusts in that direction too.

Several inches of rain and tropical storm-force wind gusts are likely toward areas like Asheville and Boone. Closer to home, we’re likely looking at an inch of rain or more Friday.

We’ve broken down the latest on the local impact from the storm in this article.