Tropical Pacific moisture brought heavy rain to the central United States as a new Pacific hurricane formed.

AP, PBS NewsHour, Washington Times · Humanitarian & Biosphere

1 Oct 20263 outlets

What it means

A new Pacific hurricane named Rachel has formed off the coast of Mexico while a separate plume of tropical Pacific moisture is streaming into the central United States, causing heavy rain and flooding from Colorado across the Great Plains. Forecasters say is expected to intensify rapidly but is not currently a threat to land.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim rests on National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service forecasts, reported by AP and widely corroborated by outlets such as PBS, NBC News, and US News. The reporting is close to the primary meteorological data and is considered solid given the reputable secondary sourcing.

How new

Genuinely new — the articles were published on September 30, 2026, describing ongoing weather events.

Past coverage

We covered a prior Pacific storm event on August 17, 2026, when Tropical Storm Lala formed and a hurricane watch was issued for the Big Island of Hawaii — a different storm but part of the same Pacific hurricane season.