25/07/2025
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ง๐๐ฝ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
Luzon, already saturated with rainwater from previous storms, is again under threat. Floodwaters had barely subsided, yet here we are, watching another round of storms arrive with little breathing space.
As the Philippines braces for intensified rains and strong winds, two tropical systemsโTyphoon Emong and Typhoon Danteโare currently interacting in a rare but increasingly familiar weather event known as the Fujiwhara Effect. This unusual phenomenon is now unfolding over Luzon, which is already soaked from previous rains, heightening the risk of floods and stronger winds in the days ahead.
The Fujiwhara Effect happens when two cyclonic storms come within about 1,000 kilometers of each other, according to the National Weather Service. They begin to rotate around a common point, pull on each other, and may even merge. These interactions can drastically alter a storm's direction and intensity.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Typhoon Dante is pulling Emong across Luzon, causing Emong to make an unusual U-turn. Meanwhile, Emong is enhancing the southwest monsoon, drawing in more moisture and triggering widespread downpours.
Winds could also reach up to 120 kilometers per hour, with gusts as strong as 165 kphโpowerful enough to uproot trees and damage communities. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center confirms these developments through its latest monitoring.
Researchers Yuei-An Liou and Ravi Pandey documented a notable Fujiwhara interaction when Typhoon Parma and Typhoon Melor came into close proximity over the Philippine Sea in October 2009. Their study found that Parma stalled, executed a looping motion and even reversed directionโleading to multiple landfalls across northern Luzon and prolonged heavy rainfall and flooding in the region, according to their article published in Weather and Climate Extremes.
Climate Prediction Center currently notes that the Pacific Ocean is in an ENSO-neutral stateโmeaning neither El Niรฑo nor La Niรฑa is active. Still, the Philippines is being pounded by intense rains. This raises concern, as such heavy rainfall used to be associated with strong El Niรฑo or La Niรฑa episodes. The absence of those patterns but the persistence of extreme weather hints at a changing climate, where supercharged storms may become the new normal.
The Fujiwhara Effect may sound like science fiction, but itโs very realโand itโs happening more frequently. As ocean temperatures rise due to climate change, conditions become more favorable for the formation of multiple simultaneous typhoons. What used to be rare is becoming normal in the Philippines. Itโs no longer just about surviving one stormโbut preparing for chains of them.
The dance of typhoons across our skies is a warning sign. The Fujiwhara Effect reminds us that the climate crisis is hereโand it's rewriting the rules of our weather.
| Yana Domingo
