Welcome to today’s daily update for Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
Hurricane Simon and Tropical Storm Rachel have arrived in Mexico, and they are wreaking havoc on the nation’s western coastline.
Simon began as a tropical depression several hundred miles south of where it is today, slowly moving north across abnormally warm waters. This year’s Super El Niño has raised ocean temperatures in the Pacific while cooling the Atlantic, leading to an extremely above-average Pacific hurricane season.
After strengthening into a Category 4 hurricane, Simon brushed past western Mexico’s Jalisco province, bringing strong winds, large waves, and heavy rain to the region before continuing on its northward trajectory. Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination in Jalisco, saw evacuations and various preparations ahead of the storm, including boarding up windows and stocking up on supplies.
The area is also relatively rugged, raising concerns over landslides or mudslides farther up in the mountains. Average rainfall totals exceeded 8 inches, with some selective areas receiving as many as 30 inches of rainfall.
Then, Simon moved away from the coastline and entered cooler waters, quickly losing strength as it downgraded into a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph.
Now, Simon is expected to restrengthen in the coming days. The system is projected to make landfall in a matter of days, moving ashore into the province of Sinaloa. Sinaloa is one of Mexico’s most unsafe states due to the sheer amount of cartel activity and violence that takes place, particularly in the state’s capital of Culiacán.
Simon is projected to make landfall somewhere between Culiacán and Mazatlán, the latter of which is a more touristy destination but remains relatively unsafe due to surrounding cartel activity. While both cities and their corresponding metropolitan areas have various bunkers and emergency shelters to protect residents from storms, this infrastructure is often old and can be vulnerable to flooding or overcrowding, raising concerns among locals.
After passing through Sinaloa, Hurricane Simon is expected to downgrade into a post-tropical cyclone before delivering rain to the drier provinces of Chihuahua and Durango, possibly sparking further flash flooding.
Meanwhile, further north, Tropical Storm Rachel already made landfall in the province of Sonora, and its remnants are currently dropping significant precipitation across the southwestern United States. While parts of California did not suffer from heavy rainfall or strong winds, the waves and surf remained intense, damaging multiple of the multi-million dollar homes along the coast of Los Angeles’ Long Beach.
Much of the region is desert or semi-arid, particularly the Sonoran Desert region in northwest Mexico. Because the area does not receive much rainfall, the soil saturates very quickly, meaning that very little rainfall can spark flash floods in a short period of time. As Rachel’s remnants moved northeast, significant precipitation was recorded across Arizona and New Mexico. Additionally, the storms are now moving into the Rockies, even bringing some of the season’s first significant snow to the region.
The Global Snapshot
US Representative Ilhan Omar saw her home searched in Washington DC yesterday, sparking allegations over the Trump administration’s potential targeting of opposition leaders. One of the states that has recently experienced significant controversy is Minnesota, which leans Democrat and has seen a brutal ICE shooting, various investigations, and mass protests across the span of Trump’s term so far. Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born naturalized American citizen who represents the heavily blue fifth congressional district of Minnesota, has been a vocal critic of Trump’s administration – she has expressed solidarity with the people of Minnesota and attempted to push back against the administration’s targeting of the state’s large Somali population. However, Trump threatened to take action against her, and it appears to have materialized – federal forces searched her home yesterday after receiving an official warrant, arguing that she committed immigration fraud.
The British government has confirmed that those arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack on a US air base in the UK have been connected to Iran. The attack was allegedly targeted at RAF Fairford, an airbase on UK soil that is operated by the United States. At least seven men have been arrested, but all of them have been released on bail and are being closely scrutinized by authorities. The US has used the airbase to house bombers that have conducted several strikes on Iranian territory, sparking allegations that the attempted attack could be linked to Iran, and the UK has just confirmed those suspicions. However, of course, Iran denies the claims completely.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Based on general biological tendencies, scientists have been able to confirm that the distance from your wrist to your elbow is roughly the same length as your foot.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): The road to success and greatness is always paved with consistent hard work. Outwork your competitors, be authentic, and above all else, chase your greatness. (Dwayne Johnson)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Nexus (noun, NEK-sus) - A nexus is a relationship or connection between people or things. Nexus can also refer to a connected group or series or to the center or focus of something.
In a Sentence: The cultural district serves as a nexus for art and cuisine.
Image: NOAA / Public Domain
Enjoyed this breakdown? Subscribe to help support our publication!