Climate & Environment

Hurricane Simon and Former Storm Rachel Cause Two Deaths and Multiple Missing People on Mexico’s Pacific Coast

By Al Jazeera Staff

Two people have died in Mexico after Hurricane Simon and the former tropical storm Rachel produced heavy rain and flooding along the Pacific coast. Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado said a 71‑year‑old man, identified by his family as Albino Moreno Jimenez, was killed when a retaining wall collapsed while he was feeding his animals on the western outskirts of Chilpancingo. A second death was reported in Baja California, where Governor Marina del Pilar said a young girl died from the effects of what had been Hurricane Rachel, which peaked as a Category 3 storm in early October. The governor also said at least ten people remain missing in Baja California, including eight in Ensenada and two in San Felipe. Local newspaper La Jornada reported a higher death toll of two in Baja California and 11 missing.

Hurricane Simon has been moving off the coast of Mexico since the weekend. By late Monday morning it had weakened from a Category 4 to a Category 2, with maximum sustained winds of about 155 km/h (100 mph). Its center was roughly 115 km west‑southwest of Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco, drifting west at 3 km/h. Forecasters expect Simon to make landfall on Thursday or Friday. Hurricane warnings remain in effect for western Mexico, where the storm poses risks of landslides and dangerous surf.

The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that a cliff diver, Juan Patines, was killed in Mazatlán after jumping into the sea on Saturday night. The heavy surf associated with Hurricane Simon hampered his return to shore, and local authorities later halted cliff‑diving at the site. Officials have not yet confirmed whether his death was directly linked to the hurricane.

The Pacific has experienced a record storm season, fueled in part by El Nino. Twenty‑one named storms have been recorded so far, and the region’s accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) has reached a historic high, surpassing the 2018 record. In Hawaii, Hurricane Lala caused flooding and killed a 93‑year‑old woman, while Hurricane Lowell, a Category 4 at its peak, struck Kauai and Niihau, leaving 90 % of Kauai’s power customers without electricity and causing at least two deaths. Hurricane Nolo also brought flooding and landslides to the Hawaiian islands in late September, though it did not make landfall.