Hurricane Tracker Shows Trudy Strengthening as Rachel Death Toll Hits 8 in Baja California

A hurricane tracker from the National Hurricane Center shows Hurricane Trudy undergoing rapid intensification off Mexico’s Pacific coast while the death toll from prior storms has risen.

Current Storm Overview

Hurricane Trudy became a hurricane before dawn Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. [1] The storm was located about 300 miles southwest of Acapulco and 445 miles south-southeast of Manzanillo, Colima, while registering maximum sustained winds of 75 mph with gusts of 93 mph. [1] Trudy is moving northwest at 9 mph. [1] Hurricane Simon remains a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 75 mph near the Jalisco coast. [1] Simon is expected to remain a Category 1 hurricane through Friday. [1] A graphic released by the National Hurricane Center shows the current location and the projected course of Hurricane Trudy through next Tuesday. [1]

Impacts from Hurricane Rachel

Eight deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Rachel. [1] At least four people remain missing. [1] The military has been actively carrying out search and rescue operations. [1] In Ensenada, flooding and landslides caused multiple fatalities including a 13-year-old girl, two women aged 30 and 35, and a 4-year-old boy. [4] At least eight persons have died after the tropical storm Rachel swept into the country. [4] Flooding and landslides have created major destruction especially in Ensenada. [4] At least five lives were claimed by the remnants of Rachel in the coastal city of Ensenada in Baja California. [4] Among the deceased are a 13-year-old girl, two women aged 30 and 35, and a 4-year-old boy. [4] Johana Nuriulu, who lives in the Buena Vista area of Ensenada, said the flood came at night after the power went out. [4] She heard a powerful sound that sounded like ocean waves but very intense, and the water swept everything away including a cabin and animals. [4]

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Effects of Hurricane Simon

Simon remains virtually frozen a few hundred kilometers west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco. [1] The storm is expected to continue orbiting in place with sustained winds of 75 mph and gusts of 95 mph. [1] Sustained winds were about 130 mph as the week began and the storm’s inner core was brushing up against the Jalisco coast. [1] The topography of the Sierra Madre mountains appeared to temper Simon’s intensity and shrink the size of its wind field. [1] As the storm weakened from a Category 4 to Category 1 it delivered heavy rain and flooding to coastal areas including the port city of Manzanillo, Colima. [1] In addition, Hurricane Simon through the weekend ravaged farther south along the Mexican Pacific coast where one person lost their life. [4] The two weather centers have carried large amounts of precipitation that have triggered flooding and landslides along the country’s Pacific coast. [4]

Government Response and Emergency Measures

President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday activated the Defense Ministry’s DN-III emergency protection plan and the Navy’s Plan Marina. [1] Sheinbaum also ordered the Interior Ministry to stay in close contact with the Baja California governor in order to provide any support that may be needed especially as Simon is expected to move toward the peninsula on Saturday. [1]

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Forecast and Projected Path

Trudy is undergoing a period of rapid intensification as it moves northwest at 9 mph and is expected to bring heavy rains to Oaxaca and Guerrero today. [1] Forecast models project it will become a major hurricane as it approaches the coast of southwestern and west-central Mexico this weekend. [1] It is expected to bring rainfall of 4 to 8 inches through the weekend across Colima and Jalisco states. [1] Hurricane Trudy looms over Mexico’s Pacific coast with severe rainfall expected. [2] Hurricane Trudy looms over Mexico’s Pacific coast with severe rainfall expected. [3]

Context from Recent Storms

While Pacific Coast residents are still reeling from the passage of Polo, Rachel and Simon, the newly formed Hurricane Trudy threatens to bring more chaos and disruption to the region. [1] Last month Polo, the second most-intense Pacific hurricane on record, made consecutive landfalls on the peninsula and then mainland Mexico on Sept. 29. [1] Now comes Trudy. [1] While Rachel has dissolved itself, Simon is still active. [4]

What to watch next: A graphic released by the National Hurricane Center shows the current location and the projected course of Hurricane Trudy through next Tuesday during which time it is expected to strengthen.

Further Reading

• Hurricane Tracker