El Niño Pushes the Pacific Into Overdrive With Multiple Hurricanes

The hyperactive Pacific hurricane season is rolling, with yet another named storm forecast to form this week. Will the next storm in line impact the U.S.? Here is what you need to know this week.

Another Zone of Concern Has Popped Up Off the Coast of Mexico

The intensifying El Niño has continued to produce a flurry of tropical weather activity in the eastern and central portions of the Pacific basin. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is now predicting that another storm will spring to life this week. The forecasting agency said that a zone of rain showers and thunderstorms just offshore southern Mexico will become the 21st named storm of the 2026 season in this part of the world's oceans. The next name up on the list in the Eastern Pacific is Simon.

This large area of low pressure is positioned near the Gulf of Tehuantepec. Hurricane experts are growing more certain that environmental conditions will support further development as the system moves to the west-northwest. 

The latest forecast models put Simon on a path into Mexico, resulting in heavy rain and gusty conditions for the western coastline. The southwestern coastline of Mexico will want to be vigilant about monitoring this system throughout the week.

Elsewhere in the Pacific

Should Simon form as predicted, it could join Rachel in this basin this week. As of the late Monday update from the NHC, Rachel was a Category 1 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. Hurricane Rachel is spinning roughly 400 miles away from the tip of Baja California, tracking to the west at a speed of 8 mph.

Rachel briefly strengthened into a Category 3 storm, but has since weakened. There have been a whopping 20 named storms in the Eastern and Central Pacific this year, with eight of these going on to become major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

While Rachel is predicted to remain out in the open waters, its large size is sending life-threatening surf and rip currents to the Baja California coast. Should Rachel stay intact over the next few days, the hurricane could travel far enough to send these potentially dangerous swells toward Southern California by the end of the week. This is something that local meteorologists will keep an eye on in the days ahead.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo is now churning through the Western Pacific, refusing to dissipate after impacting Hawaii about a week and a half ago. Nolo recently crossed over the International Date Line, retaining its status as it moved from the category of a hurricane to a cyclone. The Western Pacific refers to its strongest storms as cyclones, rather than hurricanes.

The NHC forecasts that Nolo will continue to intensify as it moves over the warm waters in this part of the basin. It will finally weaken and meet its demise by the end of the week.

Stay tuned as we continue to keep tabs on the busy Pacific.  

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