Update on Idalia and the potential for the Fujiwhara effect

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Hurricane Idalia made landfall along the west coast of Florida Idalia at Keaton Beach near Tallahassee early Wednesday morning as a category three hurricane with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour.

As the hurricane moved northeastward over more land into Georgia, it steadily declined in strength and was downgraded to a tropical storm by Wednesday afternoon.

Tropical storm Idalia moved into both Carolinas soon after it weakened into a tropical storm.

As of now, the tropical storm has moved offshore back into the Atlantic basin along North Carolina, but many areas along the southeastern coast of the United States are still facing multiple threats.

Risks for flooding and strong storm surges, wind damage, and even possible tornadoes all still remain going into the rest of today regardless of Idalia losing energy.

The system's future path likely places the trajectory deep into the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda at this point in time, but confidence that Idalia will not re-strengthen is growing.

Many in the U.S. do not pay much attention to tropical systems once they leave the mainland, but tropical storms like Idalia do not just fade away once they leave their path of carnage behind.

Hurricanes and tropical storms can be heavily influenced by more synoptic flow once the systems cross the boundary out of the tropics.

In one such instance if multiple systems exist at the same time, currently like Hurricane Franklin and Tropical Storm Idalia, the Fujiwhara effect could take place.

This effect occurs when two systems (or areas of low-pressure) begin to cyclonically rotate around one another and close the distance between them.

Rarely though will a mega hurricane form unless one larger system absorbs the smaller one.

Rather, the storms usually go their own ways once they lose the influence of the other storm's circulation.