Pacific hurricane season sets activity record after Rachel and Simon

The 2026 eastern and central Pacific hurricane season has set a record for accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE, the measure forecasters use to combine a storm’s wind strength and duration. Associated Press reported that a run of long-lived major hurricanes, including Polo, Rachel and Simon, pushed the combined basins beyond the previous high from 2018.

An unusually strong El Niño has reduced disruptive wind shear over the Pacific, while warm ocean water has supplied additional energy. Meteorologists also cited a broad Central American circulation that repeatedly helped storms form. Polo remained at Category 5 strength for about two and a half days, an exceptional duration for the basin.

The National Hurricane Center’s seasonal archive defines ACE as the sum of squared maximum sustained winds at six-hour intervals while a system is at least tropical-storm strength. That makes the record a measure of cumulative intensity, not simply the number of named storms or landfalls.

Searches for Tropical Storm Rachel rose in Canada during the preceding four hours, according to Google Trends. That regional surge helped identify public interest but is not evidence for the record; the underlying facts come from meteorological data and reporting. The season remains active, so totals may rise further.