Hurricane Rachel Tracker

Fetching map data...

The track shows Rachel's path and the forecast cone.

Rachel is a tropical storm 370 km SSW of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico.

Rachel observation history

Date, timeWind SpeedPressureLatitudeLongitudeMovementStatus
83 km/h999 mb13.9-101.514 km/h NWTropical Storm
83 km/h999 mb13.6-100.814 km/h NWTropical Storm
74 km/h1,001 mb13.2-100.012 km/h NWTropical Storm
65 km/h1,003 mb12.8-99.511 km/h WTropical Storm
65 km/h1,005 mb12.7-98.99 km/h WTropical Storm
56 km/h1,006 mb12.2-98.98 km/h NWTropical Depression
56 km/h1,008 mb12.1-98.814 km/h NWTropical Depression
46 km/h1,008 mb11.8-98.16 km/h WTropical Depression
46 km/h1,008 mb11.7-97.810 km/h WTropical Depression
46 km/h1,008 mb11.5-97.311 km/h WTropical Depression
46 km/h1,008 mb11.4-96.711 km/h WTropical Depression
46 km/h1,008 mb11.3-96.19 km/h WTropical Depression
37 km/h1,009 mb11.2-95.618 km/h WTropical Depression
37 km/h1,010 mb11.2-94.626 km/h NWTropical Depression
37 km/h1,010 mb10.2-93.626 km/h NWTropical Depression
37 km/h1,010 mb9.2-92.60 km/h NTropical Depression

What's happening now

Rachel is a tropical storm 370 km SSW of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, moving west-north-west at 14 km/h. The latest reading places Rachel's centre at 13.9° N, 101.5° W. Rachel has maximum sustained winds of 83 km/h and gusts of 95 km/h, with a central pressure of 999 mb. Rachel is holding steady compared with the previous reading six hours earlier, which recorded the same wind speed, gusts and pressure. Rachel strengthened from a tropical depression into a tropical storm on 27 September. The recorded wind increased from 37 km/h at the first reading on 25 September to 83 km/h at the latest reading. The latest movement is 294° at 14 km/h; the track readings show Rachel moving generally westwards across the recorded period.

Areas under watch or warning

No active watches or warnings.

How Rachel developed

  1. 25 September — First recorded as a tropical depression

    The first reading at 00:00 UTC placed EIGHTEEN over open water at 9.2°N, 92.6°W. EIGHTEEN had 37 km/h winds, 43 km/h gusts and pressure of 1,010 mb. The system was moving at 0 km/h at that observation.

  2. 25 September — Movement turns west

    EIGHTEEN moved north-west at 26 km/h in the 06:00 and 12:00 UTC readings, then moved due west at 18 km/h by 18:00 UTC. Wind remained 37 km/h and pressure eased to 1,009 mb. The track shifted from a brief north-west motion to a westward heading.

  3. 26 September — Wind reaches 46 km/h

    By 00:00 UTC on 26 September, EIGHTEEN’s wind had risen to 46 km/h, with gusts of 53 km/h. Pressure was 1,008 mb. The system moved west-north-west at 9 km/h, then maintained speeds of 10–11 km/h through the rest of the day.

  4. 27 September — Strongest recorded wind reaches 56 km/h

    The latest reading at 06:00 UTC recorded EIGHTEEN’s strongest wind on file: 56 km/h, with gusts of 64 km/h. Pressure remained 1,008 mb. The tropical depression was at 12.1°N, 98.8°W and moving west-north-west at 14 km/h.

  5. 27 September — Strengthens into a tropical storm

    At 18:00 UTC on 27 September, Rachel reaches tropical-storm strength with sustained winds of 65 km/h and gusts of 75 km/h. The reading places the storm at 12.7°N, 98.9°W, moving towards 282° at 9 km/h, with central pressure of 1,005 mb.

How Rachel is behaving

The readings show a gradual increase in wind alongside a modest pressure decline. EIGHTEEN began with 37 km/h winds and 1,010 mb pressure, reached 46 km/h with 1,008 mb by 26 September, and reached 56 km/h while pressure held at 1,008 mb in the latest observation. Lower pressure can accompany a more organised tropical cyclone, but these readings alone do not establish the storm’s internal structure or its cause.

EIGHTEEN’s motion changed noticeably across the record. The system was stationary in the first reading, moved north-west at 26 km/h during the next two readings, turned west at 18 km/h, and then slowed to 9–11 km/h before reaching 14 km/h in the latest observation. The track therefore shows a turn and a period of slower movement, while the wind trend shows strengthening within the tropical-depression classification.

How to track Rachel

Turn on RainViewer’s tropical storm tracks layer to see EIGHTEEN’s recorded path. Each point marks the storm’s category at that moment: cyan represents a tropical depression, blue a tropical storm, yellow category 1, amber category 2, orange category 3, red category 4, and dark red category 5. EIGHTEEN’s points on this record are cyan because every reading classifies it as a tropical depression.

Compare the latest point with earlier points to follow EIGHTEEN’s changing position, direction, wind and pressure without treating the track as a forecast. RainViewer shows the recorded observations, while the national weather service provides official warnings and forecasts. Set an alert for your area in the RainViewer app on Google Play or the App Store to receive radar updates for your location.

What the eastern Pacific season means for EIGHTEEN

EIGHTEEN is part of the 2026 eastern Pacific tropical cyclone season, and its first recorded position was over open water in the eastern Pacific basin. Late September falls within the basin’s main seasonal period, when tropical systems are commonly monitored. The readings do not include sea-surface temperature, wind shear, moisture or other environmental measurements, so they cannot establish which conditions initiated this system or explain its development.

No historical storm comparison is included because the available EIGHTEEN readings do not identify a matching past track, formation setting or seasonal analogue. A comparison would require verified historical observations beyond this storm’s 10-record track. The confirmed historical record here is limited to EIGHTEEN’s classification, position, movement, wind, gusts and listed pressure from 25 September through 27 September 2026.

Storm FAQ

What does tropical depression mean for EIGHTEEN?

A tropical depression is a tropical cyclone with sustained winds below the tropical-storm threshold. EIGHTEEN’s latest reading lists 56 km/h winds and keeps the system in the tropical-depression classification.

What is the difference between EIGHTEEN’s wind and gust speed?

Wind speed describes the sustained wind reported for the storm, while a gust is a shorter burst of stronger wind. EIGHTEEN’s latest reading lists 56 km/h winds and gusts up to 64 km/h.

Why do tropical cyclones receive names?

Tropical cyclones receive names so people and weather services can distinguish one system from another in forecasts and records. EIGHTEEN is the designation used for this system in the 2026 eastern Pacific season.

RainViewer logo RainViewer