Tropical Storm Trudy Forms in Pacific, Could Be Ninth Major Hurricane This Year

Tropical Storm Trudy formed on Tuesday in the Pacific Ocean, continuing an exceptionally active hurricane season on the southwestern coast of Mexico. The storm is forecasted to intensify into a Category 4 hurricane by the end of the week. Trudy currently has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and is the 22nd named storm of the Pacific hurricane season.

The system is becoming better organized, according to Fox Weather, and the rapid intensification is possible as it moves over very warm waters due in part to the El Niño climate pattern this year.

It is too early to tell if Trudy will make any significant impacts to Mexico or other land areas. The National Hurricane Center said Trudy could be “very close” to the Mexican coast over the weekend, UPI reported.

Meanwhile, the area is already dealing with Hurricane Simon, a Category 1 hurricane impacting Mexico’s southwestern coast.

That storm is bringing “torrential, terrain-enhanced rainfall that could reach 30 inches in parts of Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco,” weather reports indicate.

The 2026 Eastern Pacific hurricane season continues to produce powerful, long-lived storms, Fox Weather added, writing, “The parade of intense systems has made the 2026 Eastern Pacific hurricane season the most energetic on record, showcasing the basin’s exceptional activity this year.”

The last five tropical storms in the region have become major hurricanes, with Colorado State University researcher Phil Klotzbach telling PBS NewsHour, “Since September 20th, when Odalys formed, it’s been berserk. This year just everything that forms is just lasting a long time and getting really powerful.”