The remnants of Hurricane Michael, which last week ravaged parts of the Southeast U.S., have mingled with the remains of another hurricane in Europe in a rare meteorological display.

Michael made landfall over the Florida Panhandle as a powerful Category 4 and quickly moved inland. The storm then zipped across the Atlantic Ocean, weakening along the way.

By the end of the weekend, the remnants of Michael had reached the shores of Western Europe, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported. At the same time, former Hurricane Leslie was located over the Iberian Peninsula, which is principally made up of Portugal and Spain.

[More: Hurricane Michael leaves 1.2 million in the dark from Florida to Virginia]

Stu Ostro, senior meteorologist at the Weather Channel, observed that once they arrived over the peninsula, the two remnants not only merged but did a little dance — a "Fujiwara" dance.


The "Fujiwara Effect" happens when tropical cyclone systems circle around one another.

The impacts of Michael are still being surveyed back in the U.S. The number of deaths linked to the storm was raised to at least 28 across four states on Tuesday.

Leslie, too, proved deadly. It made landfall over the weekend, not quite a hurricane, but boasting hurricane-force wind gusts. The storm has been attributed to 15 deaths, including 13 in southwest France, and dozens more injured.

Leslie formed way back on Sept. 23, and spent weeks over the Atlantic Ocean where it became a hurricane and then weakened into a post-tropical cyclone. Due to its meandering pace and refusal to diffuse, weather watchers have dubbed Leslie a "zombie cyclone."

While tropical storm systems commonly hit the U.S., they rarely threaten the European side of the Atlantic. For example, the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang pointed out Portugal hasn't been hit by a hurricane in 176 years.

As The Weather Network, a Canadian company, pointed out, the fact that Michael and Leslie have met over Spain and Portugal, where they will finally dissipate, is a "once in a lifetime weather event."