With Isaias in the Gulf, 2 Pacific Storms Are Barreling Toward Mexico

Three named storms are active across North America this weekend, an unusual confluence that has millions of people bracing for potentially severe effects. While Hurricane Isaias barrels into the United States through the Gulf of Mexico, a pair of Pacific systems — Hurricane Simon and Tropical Storm Rachel — are tracking toward Mexico and the American Southwest. They bring with them the threat of rapid intensification and coastal flooding, but also potential relief from a brutal Southern California heat wave. Key Things to Know Hurricane Simon is rapidly intensifying off the west coast of Mexico, threatening the shoreline with dangerous winds, storm surge and heavy rainfall. Tropical Storm Rachel could make landfall near the U.S.-Mexico border, bringing broad cloud cover that may knock down sweltering temperatures in Southern California. High uncertainty remains for both Pacific paths because of complex atmospheric factors that make pinpointing precise local impacts difficult. Hurricane Simon Simon reached hurricane strength on Thursday and has been inching parallel to Mexico’s western coast. Computer models that forecasters use to help them understand a storm’s movements have generally agreed that it will eventually turn northeast toward the shore, but a shift of just a few miles could alter the timing of landfall from as early as Saturday night to as late as early next week. Regardless of the exact point of landfall, Simon will remain close enough to the coast as an extremely intense storm to deliver damaging winds, storm surge and heavy precipitation. The longer the system stays over open ocean water, the longer it will sustain its strength against the coast before weakening as it moves inland. Simon is the latest in a notable stretch of rapidly intensifying Pacific storms this year, fueled largely by El Niño. If it reaches Category 5 intensity, it will be the first time that four Category 5 hurricanes have formed in the Central and Eastern Pacific in a single season — joining Genevieve, Lowell and Polo. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .