Fujiwhara effect - Another storm on the doorstep

After days of rain, snow, and gusty winds in the Pacific Northwest, another storm is on the way. While the winds will not be as intense, more power outages are possible in the already heavily impacted region. The second storm comes as part of the 'Fujiwhara effect.'

Similar to the storm that hit overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, the low's center will stay offshore, but its corresponding cold front will move inland, bringing more intense winds in addition to rain and mountain snow. The storm that impacted the Pacific Northwest earlier this week is still alive and well, circulating near this other low pressure, a phenomenon called the Fujiwhara effect.

The Fujiwhara effect occurs when two cyclones - low pressures - move around a common center, looking as if they are dancing together. You can see it happening on the WindRadar now. The previous storm that hit earlier this week is on the left side.

As of lunchtime on Thursday, more than 300,000 customers are still without power in Washington, with more than 270,000 of them residing in King County where the Seattle Metro is, due to the first round of intense winds. The gusty winds coming from the new storm will come in 2 rounds; one from late Thursday to early Friday morning, then early Friday morning to late Friday evening. Gusts will get into the 70 to 80 mph range once more.

Looking ahead into the weekend, the Fujiwhara effect is still in place as these low pressure do another dance around each other. Take a peek at the WindRadar and have your app alerts switched on for more information.