Hurricane Rachel Threatens to Become Latest Major Pacific Hurricane as Flooding Ravages Central U.S.

Hurricane Rachel is strengthening over the Eastern Pacific and is now forecast to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane, while its moisture — combined with the remnants of Hurricane Polo — is triggering a dangerous, week-long flood threat across more than 30 states in the Central United States, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and FOX Weather reporting.

Rachel Strengthens Over the Open Pacific

As of the latest NHC advisories, Hurricane Rachel is a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, situated roughly 245 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. Forecasters expect Rachel to continue strengthening over the next couple of days while curving away from the Mexican coast into the open Pacific.

Rachel marks the 20th named storm and 10th hurricane of the season in the Central and Eastern Pacific basins. A rapidly strengthening El Niño is warming sea surface temperatures across the basin, providing abundant fuel for tropical cyclone development and intensification.

Week-Long Flood Threat Grips Central United States

A pronounced dip in the jet stream is pulling tropical moisture from Rachel northward across the Central U.S., overlaying that moisture onto the already saturated landscape left by Hurricane Polo’s remnants. The combined setup has prompted flood watches and warnings across a broad corridor stretching through the Plains, Midwest, and Mississippi Valley.

Over 150 million people face potentially dangerous, weeklong flood conditions as slow-moving heavy rainfall continues. The same jet stream pattern that ushered Polo’s remnants across the Southwest on Tuesday is now channeling Rachel’s moisture into the Central states.

Hurricane Polo’s Devastating Legacy

Hurricane Polo made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on Baja California Sur late Monday, bringing damaging wind gusts and flooding before tracking over the Gulf of California and making a second landfall in mainland Mexico on Tuesday.

Polo reached Category 5 strength three separate times during its lifecycle, peaking with 180 mph winds. It entered the record books as the second-most intense Eastern Pacific hurricane by central pressure at 892 millibars, trailing only Hurricane Patricia’s 872 millibars from 2015.

Polo’s remnants survived an unusually long journey over mountainous terrain to affect the U.S. — only the 10th remnant tropical system to do so since 1950. Flash flooding triggered by Polo’s debris continued across the Southwest before the system fully merged with the larger weather pattern.

New Development: Tropical Depression Nineteen-E

The NHC added a new area of tropical development on Tuesday afternoon located behind Rachel, giving the system high odds of organizing over the next seven days. Meanwhile, Tropical Depression Nineteen-E formed in the open Pacific Tuesday morning but is expected to dissipate by Friday.

California has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of further impacts from the ongoing tropical moisture flow. The next named storm in the Eastern Pacific basin will be designated Simon.

What’s Next

The combination of El Niño-driven warm waters and favorable atmospheric conditions continues to support active tropical cyclone formation in both the Central and Eastern Pacific basins. Residents across the U.S. Gulf and Central states should monitor flood advisories closely as the tropical moisture tap remains open for at least the coming week.

FOX Weather continues to provide live coverage and updated hurricane tracks as the situation evolves.

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