2020 has been quite a year so far. A global pandemic, economic collapse, a derecho in the Midwest, and out of control wildfires in California. What next?

Now, for the first time in recorded history, we may see two hurricanes moving into the Gulf of Mexico simultaneously. Tropical Storm Marco and Tropical Storm Laura are both expected to strengthen to hurricane strength and to hit the Gulf Coast within hours of each other. 

The Washington Post reports: A hurricane watch was issued for the New Orleans metro area, which Hurricane Katrina pummeled in August 2005.
 
The projected tracks from the U.S. National Hurricane Center late Saturday pointed to both storms being together in the Gulf on Monday, with Marco hitting Louisiana’s coast around midday and Laura making landfall in the same general area Wednesday. But there was still much uncertainty surrounding the forecasts for the two storms.

This being 2020, the close proximity of the two storms raises the question — could they combine into a single larger storm?  It is possible through what is known as the Fujiwhara effect that the storms could interact. One possible outcome is that the two storms become a single larger storm. The good news is that this is highly unlikely given the size and probable locations of Marco and Laura. Nevertheless, this is still 2020.

Below is a brief video about the Fujiwhara effect. 

The Fujiwhara Effect: What happens if two hurricanes combine?