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October 4, 2026 - Hurricane Rachel
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Hurricane Rachel was a major Category 3 hurricane spinning south of Baja California on October 1, 2026, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image.
Near the same time that this image was captured, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) advised that Rachel’s maximum sustained winds were 120 miles per hour (195 km/h). The center of the strong hurricane was located about 245 miles (390 km) south of the southern tip of Baja California. With a minimum central pressure of 950 mb, Rachel was crawling westward at 3 miles per hour (6 km/h)—a course that carried it away from land. While landfall did not occur, Rachel kicked up strong swells and brought heavy rain to southern Baja California.
Hurricane Rachel is the 18th named storm of the 2026 East Pacific Hurricane Season, with the first named storm arriving in early Jun. It is also ninth hurricane in the East Pacific and the seventh major hurricane in that region this year.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 10/1/2026
Resolutions:
1km (2 MB), 500m (5.6 MB), 250m (3.9 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Hurricane Rachel was a major Category 3 hurricane spinning south of Baja California on October 1, 2026, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image.
Near the same time that this image was captured, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) advised that Rachel’s maximum sustained winds were 120 miles per hour (195 km/h). The center of the strong hurricane was located about 245 miles (390 km) south of the southern tip of Baja California. With a minimum central pressure of 950 mb, Rachel was crawling westward at 3 miles per hour (6 km/h)—a course that carried it away from land. While landfall did not occur, Rachel kicked up strong swells and brought heavy rain to southern Baja California.
Hurricane Rachel is the 18th named storm of the 2026 East Pacific Hurricane Season, with the first named storm arriving in early Jun. It is also ninth hurricane in the East Pacific and the seventh major hurricane in that region this year.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 10/1/2026
Resolutions:
1km (2 MB), 500m (5.6 MB), 250m (3.9 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
