Some meteorologists and geologists speculate that the collision would be like a pair of agitated gorillas: two giants making a lot of noise, shaking the ground, and then parting ways. It’s unlikely the volcano would make much of a dent in this battle. “As massive as the impact of a volcanic eruption can be, it’s hard to grasp the scale of a hurricane,” says David Nolan, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Miami. “The eye wall of a hurricane typically has a radius of 30 miles. Off the top of my head, I’d say the primary updraft from a volcano is just one mile across.”

As a result, he explains, almost anything a volcano can do to disrupt a storm would be localized and likely erased as it moved along. Tracy Gregg, a geologist at the University at Buffalo, also emphasizes how little impact typical volcanic eruptions would likely have on such a powerful storm. “A volcano punching up through [a hurricane] would be a smudge on the windshield,” she says.