Two dead as Hurricane Simon, tropical storm Rachel pummel Mexico's Pacific coast

Two people are confirmed dead in Mexico after Hurricane Simon and the remnants of tropical storm Rachel swept across the Pacific coast this week, bringing torrential downpours and widespread flooding to vulnerable communities. A third death—a cliff diver in Sinaloa—may also be linked to the storms, though authorities have not yet made a formal determination.

In Guerrero state, a 71-year-old man named Albino Moreno Jimenez was killed when a retaining wall collapsed under the weight of intense rainfall. He had been tending to his animals on the western edge of Chilpancingo when the structure gave way. Governor Evelyn Salgado confirmed the death at a Monday news briefing. Separately, in Baja California along Mexico's western coast, a young girl died from the effects of what was once tropical storm Rachel, which had peaked as a Category 3 hurricane in early October. Governor Marina del Pilar announced this second death later the same day.

The confirmed death toll remains preliminary. At least ten people are missing in Baja California alone—eight in the coastal city of Ensenada and two in the fishing town of San Felipe on the Gulf of California. Local reporting suggests the figures may be higher, with one newspaper putting the Baja California death toll at two and missing persons at eleven. Officials have warned that the total number of casualties could rise as search and recovery efforts continue and as damage assessments become more complete.

Hurricane Simon, the more immediate threat, has been churning off Mexico's coast since the weekend. By late Monday morning, it had weakened from a powerful Category 4 storm to a Category 2, with maximum sustained winds of around 155 kilometers per hour. The storm's center was positioned roughly 115 kilometers west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco state, moving westward at a slow three kilometers per hour. Forecasters predict Simon could make landfall on Thursday or Friday, and hurricane warnings remain in effect for western Mexico, where the combination of heavy rain, high winds, and storm surge creates acute risk of landslides and dangerous coastal conditions.

Tropical storm Rachel, by contrast, had already transitioned to a post-tropical cyclone by the time it reached Mexico. Its remnants have since traveled north into southern California. A cliff diver named Juan Patines was killed in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, on Saturday night after jumping into the sea during dangerous surf conditions associated with Simon. Mexican media reported that heavy waves prevented him from returning to shore. Local authorities subsequently closed the cliff-diving site due to hazardous conditions, though officials have not yet formally confirmed whether his death was directly caused by the hurricane.

This pair of storms arrives during an extraordinary season of Pacific hurricane activity. The northeastern and central Pacific has recorded twenty-one named storms so far this year, fueled in part by El Niño warming in parts of the ocean. On Sunday, Hurricane Simon pushed the region to a historic high for accumulated cyclone energy—a measurement combining the strength and duration of tropical storms—surpassing the previous record set in 2018.

Hawaii has borne the brunt of this exceptional season. In August, Hurricane Lala struck the Big Island as a Category 1 storm, killing a 93-year-old woman and destroying roughly one hundred homes. Weeks later, Hurricane Lowell, a Category 4 at its peak, battered the islands of Kauai and Niihau with powerful winds, storm surge, and flooding. About ninety percent of Kauai's power customers lost electricity. At least two deaths were attributed to Lowell. In late September, Hurricane Nolo brought additional flooding and landslides to the Hawaiian islands, though it did not make landfall.

As Simon continues its westward drift toward Mexico's coast, officials have urged residents to remain vigilant. The combination of downed trees, high winds, and rising floodwaters poses ongoing danger. Search and rescue operations are underway in Baja California, and the full scope of damage from both storms will not be clear until the weather passes and assessment teams can reach affected areas.