Hurricane Simon weakens to Category 2 off Mexico; storm Rachel leaves 10 missing in Baja California

Hurricane Simon weakened from Category 4 to Category 2 by late Monday morning, 12 October 2026, with maximum sustained winds of about 155 km/h (100 mph), the US National Hurricane Center said, Al Jazeera reported. Its centre was about 115 km west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, barely moving at 3 km/h, and forecasters expect it to make landfall on Thursday or Friday. Hurricane warnings are in force for western Mexico, with landslides and dangerous surf the main risks.

Deaths and missing so far

• Guerrero: a 71-year-old man died when a retaining wall fell on him during Simon, Governor Evelyn Salgado confirmed.
• Baja California: a young girl died from the effects of storm Rachel, Governor Marina del Pilar said. Ten people are missing: eight in Ensenada and two in San Felipe.
• Mazatlan, Sinaloa: cliff diver Juan Patines died after jumping into rough surf on Saturday night; officials have not linked the death to Simon.

The toll is preliminary and could rise.

Rachel moves into California

Rachel peaked as a Category 3 storm earlier in October and came ashore in Baja California as a post-tropical cyclone, bringing torrential rain and flooding. Its remnants then moved north through southern California.

A record Pacific season

The northeastern and central Pacific has had 21 named storms so far this year, and Simon pushed the region's accumulated cyclone energy past the previous record set in 2018. Forecasters link the busy season partly to El Nino, the same Pacific warming behind this year's heat records: see Super El Nino sets a Pacific heat record.

For Pakistanis in Mexico and the US west coast

Pakistani travellers and families in western Mexico or southern California should follow local emergency alerts and check flights before leaving for the airport. For more on the world's weather and what it means at home, see our science desk.