What is the term for two nearby cyclones rotating around a common center?

The story behind the answer

What is the term for two nearby cyclones rotating around a common center? It is the Fujiwhara effect.

The Fujiwhara effect describes the interaction of two nearby cyclonic vortices whose circulations cause them to orbit a point between their centers. In the Northern Hemisphere, the pair generally circles counterclockwise; in the Southern Hemisphere, the motion is generally clockwise.

The phenomenon is named for Japanese meteorologist Sakuhei Fujiwhara, who studied vortex motion and described the interaction in a 1921 paper. It is often discussed during hurricane season, but it can involve tropical cyclones, typhoons, and extratropical low-pressure systems.

The effect does not always mean that two hurricanes merge. Storms of similar size may orbit one another, while a stronger or larger system can dominate a weaker one. If the centers get close enough, one circulation may absorb the other, the storms may merge, or one may be deflected onto a new track.

The other choices describe unrelated atmospheric processes. The Fujiwhara effect is about cyclone-to-cyclone interaction, not wind flow through an obstacle or sinking air behind mountains.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

Add question to a list

Choose a list to keep this question in: