Science & Tech · Space · 10 hrs ago
Hurricane Simon sent atmospheric waves high above Earth
Hurricane Simon churned off Mexico’s Pacific coast on October 11, 2026, as satellites observed the storm.
At its strongest, it had sustained winds of 155 miles per hour, near the upper limit of Category 4 intensity.
Heavy rain caused flooding in coastal communities, and rain on steep mountain slopes raised the risk of landslides.
A satellite detected waves spreading above the hurricane in the atmosphere.
The waves formed as storm clouds pushed air upward, and they became visible by changing the faint glow of gases in the mesosphere.
The observations show how a hurricane can disturb the atmosphere far above its winds and rain, though no next steps are stated.
NASA satellites captured Hurricane Simon off Mexico’s Pacific coast on October 11, 2026.
The storm generated atmospheric gravity waves that reached the mesosphere and disturbed airglow.
At its strongest, Simon had sustained winds of 155 miles per hour, near the upper limit of Category 4 intensity.
When the Suomi NPP satellite captured it, Simon’s eye was 30 miles offshore between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta.
Heavy rain caused flooding in coastal communities, and intense rainfall in mountainous areas increased landslide risks.
- Who
- Hurricane Simon, observed by NASA and NOAA satellites.
- What
- The hurricane sent atmospheric gravity waves high into the atmosphere, where they disturbed airglow.
- When
- October 11, 2026.
- Where
- Off Mexico’s Pacific coast; the waves reached the mesosphere.
- Why
- Rapidly rising warm, moist air in the storm generated disturbances that traveled upward through the atmosphere.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The NOAA-21 satellite detected atmospheric gravity waves spreading outward from Simon.
The VIIRS instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of the hurricane.
- Peak sustained winds
- 155 miles per hour
- Eye position
- 30 miles offshore
- Nearby cities
- Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta
- Wave-detection satellite
- NOAA-21
- Image-capture satellite
- Suomi NPP
- Wave region
- Mesosphere, roughly 30 to 53 miles above Earth’s surface