Nearly 30 years after Iris absorbed Humberto, forecasters watch Humberto and Imelda for signs of the rare Fujiwhara Effect that can shift storm paths.

That's an unlikely outcome, said CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. But if such a collision does occur, it could produce what's called the Fujiwhara effect, a rare phenomenon in which two different storms merge and become entangled around a newly formed, common center.

There is also a danger to those in its path: The Fujiwhara effect has major implications for forecasting, and could alter a storm's track unpredictably, making it harder to warn communities in its path, according to The Weather Channel. This example can be found in the 2017 track of Hurricane Hilary and Hurricane Irwin.

A new weather buzzword is storming social media as Hurricane Humberto may do a giant dance with another tropical cyclone in the Atlantic.

Tropical Storm Imelda and Hurricane Humberto have both strengthened, now lurking a few hundred miles away from one another.

The Fujiwhara effect occurs when two nearby tropical cyclones or low-pressure systems begin to rotate around a common center, like a dance.

The Fujiwhara Effect causes two nearby tropical cyclones to orbit around a common center, sometimes altering their predicted paths.

The Fujiwhara effect is a semi-rare process that happens when two storms that are relatively close in geography orbit around a shared center point. Sometimes, if the storms are of equal strength, they can spin around each other and then release, going their separate ways. Sometimes they will merge and create a stronger storm.

The effect is named after Japanese meteorologist Sakuhai Fujiwhara, who first documented the phenomenon in the Pacific during the 1920s.

With things finally heating up in the tropics for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, the FOX 35 Storm Team answers a question many people have had on their minds: Can several hurricanes merge into a single,

Rare Storm Interaction Spares Coastal Areas from Catastrophic Rainfall, But Dangerous Surf and Gusty Winds Remain a Threat. Coastal residents in the southeastern United States can breathe a sigh of relief as Hurricane Humberto is forecast to pull Tropical Storm Imelda out to sea,