Hurricane Simon floods Mexico's Pacific coast

Hurricane Simon moved along Mexico's Pacific coast as a Category 4 storm, bringing heavy rain, flooding and evacuations.

The storm's eye was located between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta.

On 2026-10-11, Hurricane Simon was a Category 4 storm moving north-northwest. The record listed wind values of 250 km/h and 210 km/h.

Simon's eye was measured at 50 km and was positioned between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta.

The record includes a 2026-10-11T20:30Z timestamp for VIIRS on the Suomi NPP satellite, and NOAA-21 acquired a nighttime image.

The storm's inner core was close to the coastline, and the Sierra Madre mountains appeared to weaken it and reduce the wind field.

Simon brought heavy rain and flooding, increased the risk of mudslides, and moved along Mexico's Pacific coast with floods and evacuations. Manzanillo received heavy rain and flooding.

Satellites recorded the storm's effects reaching the upper atmosphere, where atmospheric gravity waves radiated from the hurricane. These waves form from latent heat-driven convection, can reach the stratosphere and mesosphere, are not always observable, and can be dissipated by winds in the upper atmosphere.

The VIIRS day-night band is sensitive to airglow and detects reflected moonlight, while the Moon had minimal illumination.

Simon is the most recent tropical cyclone in a lengthy Eastern Pacific season.

For readers tracking the lunar industry, NASA is the organizational link in these facts. The report shows NASA Earth Observatory products built from VIIRS data, GIBS/Worldview, Suomi NPP and Joint Polar Satellite System resources.

Forecasts of Simon's intensity and path have very low confidence. The system may turn northward into the Gulf of California. Large swells are expected on parts of Mexico's southwestern and west-central coasts, creating dangerous nearshore conditions.