Hurricane Humberto and another storm that could turn into Imelda are both churning in the Atlantic, close enough for a potential Fujiwhara effect and posing a threat to the United States and its East Coast.
Here’s what to know.
Humberto strenthened into the Atlantic basin’s third hurricane of the season Friday morning according to the National Hurricane Center; meanwhile a second storm, Invest AL94 is brewing with a 90% chance of cyclonic developement and the potential to become Imelda.
Accuweather is forecasting a “rare weather pattern unfolding” in the southwestern Atlantic with the possibility of two hurricanes “swirling” within a few hundred miles of each other, where at least one could make landfall along the United States coast, possibly the Carolinas, by early next week.
The distance between these developing storms rotating or “dancing” around each in the Atlantic Ocean, can create a Fuijiwhara effect, where one storm could absorb the other or merge into one larger storm.
Here’s where and what to know about the current forecast for Hurricane Humberto and invest 94L.
Where is Hurricane Humberto now?
Humberto has now reached Category 1 hurricane status with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and spinning 465 miles northeast of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center on Friday morning. It is moving northwest at 3 mph and is forecast to strenthen into a major hurricane by Sunday, Sept. 28.
Wind speed probabilities associated with Hurricane Humberto 5 a.m. Sept. 26, 2025.
A major hurricane is one that is a Category 3 or stronger, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
Where is invest 94L?
Invest 94L is still a tropical wave located near Hispanola, the Turkes and Caicos Islands and Eastern Cuba and heading near the southeast Bahamas by Friday night and then track nortwestward or northward over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean over the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center, and has a very high 90% chance of cyclone formation for what could become Imelda.
Humberto has reached hurricane strength. But all eyes are on Invest 94L, which appears increasingly likely to impact the North Carolina coast.
Beyond the Bahamas, interaction with Humberto can determine or change the path of either storm, and the “budding” Imelda could potentially push directly onshore into the Carolinas next week, according to Accuweather.
What is the Fujiwara effect?
When two storms or hurricanes spinning in the same direction pass close enough to each other, they begin an intense dance around their common center known as the Fujiwhara effect, the National Weather Service said.
The two storms in the Atlantic could result in atmospheric phenomenon known as the Fujiwara effect next week according to Accuweather, described as a “condition is similar to the teacup ride at an amusement park or ballroom dancers moving in unison.”
The effect is thought to occur when storms get about 900 miles apart.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Where is Hurricane Humberto, Imelda path? Storms in the Atlantic now