Hurricane Rachel's Moisture Fuels Dangerous Flood Threat Across Central U.S.
There is no slowing down for the Pacific basin. Yet another tropical weather event is forecast to become a major hurricane in the days ahead. Here is the latest on this new threat in the Pacific, including how it may impact Mexico and the U.S.
Latest Details on Hurricane Rachel
Rachel is expected to evolve into a major hurricane as it churns off the western coast of Mexico. As of the Thursday afternoon update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Rachel is a Category 2 storm packing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. Rachel is located roughly 240 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, crawling to the west at a speed of just 3 mph.
Mexico can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Rachel is tracking to the west and away from the coastline. The feature is expected to strengthen when it reaches warmer waters of the open Pacific.
Rachel is distinguished as the 20th named storm and 10th hurricane to roam the central and eastern portions of the Pacific this season. A powerful El Niño is being blamed for the elevated activity over the last few months in this basin. This climate phase is producing exceptionally warm waters that have supported the uptick in tropical weather formation.
While Rachel is moving out to sea, a large southward dip in the jet stream is going to suck up the moisture from the storm and deposit it across the central U.S. over the next few days. This is the same dip in the jet stream that also pulled up moisture from what was left of Hurricane Polo and dumped it over the Southwest earlier in the week.
Polo made landfall late Monday in Baja California Sur, Mexico, as a Category 2 storm. The storm ejected back out into the water for a short time before making a second landfall in mainland Mexico on Tuesday. Baja California is typically protected from tropical weather events, making Polo's landfall a rarity. You have to go back nearly three years to find the last time that a hurricane came ashore in this part of Mexico.
After impacting Mexico, what was left of Polo met up with the jet stream and traveled into the Desert Southwest, unleashing several flash flooding events. Polo is only the 10th remnant tropical weather event to make it over the rugged mountains of Mexico still intact since 1950.
Category 5 Hurricane Polo also made history last week as the second-strongest storm, as measured by central pressure, ever recorded in the Eastern Pacific. This pressure measurement dropped to 892 millibars, coming in behind 2015's Hurricane Patricia's 872 millibars.
Other Happenings in the Pacific
While things have remained quiet in the Atlantic basin, the NHC has been kept busy monitoring all of the happenings in the Eastern Pacific. Another zone began exhibiting signs of strengthening on Tuesday morning, coming together right behind Rachel.
The NHC has assigned this feature a high chance of intensification over the next seven days. The next name up on the list of monikers for the Eastern Pacific is Simon.
Lastly, Tropical Depression Nineteen-E is still churning in the open Pacific. This feature is expected to fall apart by Friday, posing no threat to land.
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