TWO TROPICAL STORMS IN THE GULF: AN EXPLANATION OF THE FUJIWHARA EFFECT… Two tropical storms at the same time in the Gulf of Mexico is an incredibly rare event. It is an event that is likely to happen for a third time in recorded history early next week when what will likely be Laura and Marco (at that point) both occupy the relatively small Gulf of Mexico. It turns out two hurricanes have never been in the Gulf at the exact same time. There have been, however, two instances where there were two tropical storms in the Gulf at once. I have had several questions today about what happens when two tropical storms or hurricanes “get close to each other.” The answer is: It depends on just how close the two storms are to each other. The effect when storms do “feel effects from one another” is called the Fujiwhara effect. Basically, when a tropical storm is in fairly close proximity to another tropical storm (or hurricane), sometimes the storms will rotate around a center point in between the two storms. Yep, you read that correctly. Two storms rotating in a circle around a common midpoint. Most times, this results in the storms then moving away from one another, although there have been cases where the stronger storm ultimately merges with the weaker storm and ‘takes over.’ The Fujiwhara effect is rare in the Atlantic Basin and I cannot recall a time in recent memory when it has happened in the Gulf of Mexico, but as many of you have pointed out today, this is the Year 2020. I highly doubt there will be much of a Fujiwhara interaction next week. I am more concerned about local impacts because of Tropical Depression 14, which will likely be a hurricane in the eastern Gulf some time around Tuesday of the upcoming week. More details below.
The following two paragraphs discuss the two recorded times when there were 2 simultaneous tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico, once in 1933 and once in 1959.
87 YEARS AGO – FIRST RECORDED TIME OF 2 SIMULTANEOUS GULF STORMS… 1933 was somewhat of a questionable, fringe case. The “Great Cuba-Brownsville Hurricane of 1933” was a category 3 or 4 hurricane barreling toward southern Texas in the central Gulf. On the same day (September 4, 1933), the “Treasure Coast Hurricane of 1933” was weakening as a tropical storm near the northeastern Gulf and the northern part of the Florida Peninsula. It is a questionable case as “Treasure Coast” was likely over land the whole in northern Florida and didn’t actually reach the Gulf.
61 YEARS AGO – 2ND TIME OF 2 SIMULTANEOUS GULF STORMS… 1959 was a more clear case when two tropical storms existed at the same time in the Gulf. Tropical Storm Beulah was on the western side of the Gulf near Texas and Mexico on June 18, 1959. Hurricane Three started as a tropical storm on the eastern side of the Gulf and made landfall along the Florida Peninsula near Tampa.
2020 – TWO STORMS LIKELY IN GULF NEXT WEEK… Odds continue to increase that both TD13 and TD14 will be in the Gulf of Mexico early next week. TD14 will likely approach Texas and Louisiana on Monday into Tuesday of the upcoming week as a tropical storm. TD13 will likely directly impact or move just south of South Florida and the Florida Keys on Monday and emerge into the southern Gulf Monday night. The official forecast from the National Hurricane Center shows TD13 as a hurricane in the eastern Gulf of Mexico south of Tallahassee on Tuesday afternoon. Local impacts because of TD13 (likely a hurricane at that point) will become possible on Tuesday, based on the latest forecast guidance from NHC. I will have a full, live video rundown of the latest information a bit later this evening. Be sure to join me for that!
APP ALERTS… If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free RedZone Weather app to keep up with all the latest information on the world of weather in south Alabama and northwest Florida. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Once you have the app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) and tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
Live video later this evening! See you then!