Two potential monster hurricanes could be brewing in the Eastern and Western Pacific basins that could make landfall. Tropical Storm Trudy is expected to rapidly intensify into a Category 4 hurricane before potentially making landfall along the western Mexican coast. Meanwhile, Invest 96W could pass over the U.S. territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands as a typhoon, en route to matching Super Typhoon Sinalaku as the strongest storm on earth this year, with sustained winds of 185 mph.
THE TAKEAWAY
Tropical Storm Trudy formed Tuesday in the Pacific and is set to become a powerful Category 4 hurricane.Tropical Depression 29W in the Western Pacific is expected to explode into a Super Typhoon and could tie Super Typhoon Sinlaku as the strongest storm in any basin this year.The parade of intense systems has made the 2026 Eastern Pacific hurricane season the most energetic on record.
Tropical Storm Trudy is forecast to rapidly intensify into a powerful Category 4 hurricane and approach the western coast of Mexico this weekend. Trudy formed Tuesday in the Pacific as a strong El Niño climate pattern has helped propel the Eastern Pacific to its most active season on record as measured by Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE).
Trudy’s forecast cone.
(FOX Weather)
Trudy currently has maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and is located about 375 miles south of Acapulco, Mexico. It’s forecast to become a hurricane Wednesday night before intensifying and potentially approaching Mexico as a strong hurricane.
Trudy could become the ninth Category 4 or stronger hurricane in the Eastern and Central Pacific this season.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HURRICANE MAKING A DIRECT HIT AND LANDFALL?
Tropical Storm Trudy’s stats.
(FOX Weather)
“Some forecast models even show a possible landfall, but confidence in the exact track remains low,” the FOX Forecast Center said.
Some hostile wind and uncertainty around the atmospheric steering pattern are making Trudy’s exact track difficult for forecasters to pin down.
‘HISTORIC’ EL NIÑO INCREASINGLY LIKELY, WITH 83% CHANCE OF BECOMING THE STRONGEST ON RECORD
Uncertainty surrounds Hurricane Simon, which could restrengthen into a monster Cat. 4
Hurricane Simon has weakened again to a Category 1 storm, after peaking as a Category 4 hurricane over the weekend.
Simon is about 160 miles west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico.
Hurricane Simon’s forecast cone.
(FOX Weather)
The lack of steering currents have also prevented Simon from making landfall, with the small storm stalling just off the coast earlier this week.
Simon’s hurricane-force winds only extended 10 miles from its center Wednesday morning.
The Mexican government reported that rain associated with Simon caused several rockslides in the state of Guerrero and other neighboring states late last week. Simon’s moisture is also being pulled north by a large dip in the jet stream and is fueling a dangerous flash flood threat across the Central U.S.
A landslide caused by heavy rains ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Simon in Acapulco, Guerrero state, Mexico, on October 10, 2026.
((Photo by Francisco Robles / AFP via Getty Images) / FOX Weather)
Simon’s small size combined with the lack of a steering current have also made its future very uncertain.
“There is an extreme range of intensity solutions over the next 48 hours, from Simon intensifying into a Category 4 hurricane, to weakening to a tropical storm. The latest forecast shows some intensification,” the FOX Forecast Center said.
RACHEL’S REMNANTS FUEL MAJOR WEST COAST FLOOD THREAT WITH HEAVY RAINFALL SOAKING MILLIONS
The official track from the NHC shows Simon striking Baja California as a tropical storm Saturday.
The 2026 Eastern Pacific hurricane season has officially surpassed 2018 as the most energetic season on record, with over 319 ACE units. ACE measures the combined strength and duration of tropical storms and hurricanes during a season.
WHAT IS ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY (ACE)?
Tropical Depression 29W to explode into monster Super Typhoon Champi
Meanwhile, a monster storm is brewing in the Western Pacific that, according to current forecasts, could strengthen into the strongest storm in any basin this year.
Tracking TD 29W
(FOX Weather)
Tropical Depression 29W formed more than 1,000 miles south of Guam Wednesday and is rapidly organizing.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TROPICAL DEPRESSION, TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE?
29W is expected to strengthen into Typhoon Champi and pass close to Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands Sunday as the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane.
A Guam landfall is quite rare due to the small size of the island.
“From there the typhoon will continue to intensify,” the FOX Forecast Center said.
Tracking future-Typhoon Champi
(FOX Weather)
“Incredibly, the Google Deepmind is giving it a 99% chance of becoming a Super Typhoon, and a 33% chance of matching Super Typhoon Sinalaku as the strongest storm on earth this year at 185 mph,” the Forecast Center added.
Check back for updates on this developing story.