Hurricane Rachel Intensifies to Category 2 Off Mexico's Pacific Coast
The storm is projected to move along the Mexican coastline before veering west into the Pacific, while authorities remain on alert for heavy rainfall and potential landslides.
Hurricane Rachel strengthened into a Category 2 cyclone off Mexico's Pacific coast on Thursday morning. The storm was located approximately 230 miles (370 kilometers) southeast of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, with sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.
Rachel is currently moving northwest at 6 mph (9 kph) and is projected to travel along the Mexican coastline before turning westward into the Pacific Ocean. Mexican authorities have issued alerts for heavy rainfall in the states of Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, and Jalisco. Concerns include the possibility of landslides, rising river levels, overflowing rivers, and flooding in low-lying areas.
This storm follows Hurricane Polo, which recently caused flooding and damage in northern Mexico and parts of the southwestern United States. The Pacific hurricane season has been unusually active this year, a phenomenon that experts attribute to El Niño. This pattern has led to warmer ocean waters and altered wind patterns conducive to hurricane formation, while also contributing to severe drought in parts of Mexico and Central America and flooding elsewhere in the region.
Recent rainfall associated with these weather systems swept across the U.S. Southwest, causing desert rivers to surge.