Rachel is the 17th name on the 2026 list of East Pacific hurricane names, and it has been used in 2026: Hurricane Rachel is active now; it formed on September 25. The list comes back in 2032, when Rachel is used only if the season reaches the letter R. Since 1984, six storms have been named Rachel; the strongest, in 2026, peaked as a Category 2 hurricane.
No. Rachel is on the 2026 list of East Pacific names, and it is not among the 22 names NHC lists as retired from the eastern and central Pacific (Tropical Cyclone Naming History and Retired Names).
Rachel is next scheduled for 2032, when the 2026 list comes back. The six lists rotate, so each one returns every six years.
A name on the list is used only if the season gets that far. Rachel is name 17 of 24, and 26 of the 46 East Pacific seasons from 1980 to 2025 got that far.
Hurricane Rachel is active now, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 km/h). Follow it on its live tracker page.
Live trackerRachel formed in the East Pacific in September 2014 and peaked as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 980 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 9 days.
Hurricane Rachel (2014): track and historyRachel formed in the West Pacific in August 1999 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 992 mb. It made landfall near Budai, Taiwan. The system was tracked for 5 days.
Tropical Storm Rachel (1999): track and historyRachel formed in the Southern Hemisphere in December 1996 and peaked as a Category 1 cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 965 mb. It made landfall near Port Hedland, Australia. The system was tracked for 13 days.
Cyclone Rachel (1996): track and historyRachel formed in the East Pacific in September 1990 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 994 mb. It made 2 landfalls, first near Las Palmas, Mexico and last near Angostura, Mexico. The system was tracked for 6 days.
Tropical Storm Rachel (1990): track and historyRachel formed in the East Pacific in October 1984 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 9 days.
Tropical Storm Rachel (1984): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel 1999 | Budai, Taiwan | 1999-08-07 06:00 | 35 mph / 55 km/h |
| Rachel 1996 | 11.4°S 132.1°E | 1997-01-01 21:00 | 30 mph / 50 km/h |
| Rachel 1996 | Port Hedland, Australia | 1997-01-07 09:00 | 80 mph / 130 km/h |
| Rachel 1990 | Las Palmas, Mexico | 1990-10-02 12:00 | 65 mph / 100 km/h |
| Rachel 1990 | Angostura, Mexico | 1990-10-02 19:00 | 60 mph / 95 km/h |
Names go in alphabetical order, one per storm, as each storm reaches tropical-storm strength (39 mph, 34 knots), so a storm’s place in its season decides its name.
In each of 2026, 2014, 1990 and 1984, Rachel was the 17th name used in the East Pacific season.
Storms named Rachel appear in more than one ocean in our archive:
Each ocean region keeps its own name lists, drawn up by its own WMO regional committee (Tropical cyclone naming), so the same name can be given to unrelated storms in different oceans.
Hurricane Rachel is active now in the East Pacific. It formed on September 25, 2026 and has peaked so far at 100 mph (155 km/h). It was the 17th name used in that East Pacific season. Before that, the name was used in 2014, 1999, 1996, 1990 and 1984.
Hurricane Rachel in 2026 was the strongest, peaking as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 972 mb. It formed in the East Pacific in September. The weakest of the six, in 1999, peaked at 40 mph (65 km/h).