NASA captures strange waves high above Hurricane Simon

Despite remaining offshore, Hurricane Simon battered Mexico's Pacific coast with powerful winds and flooding. At the same time, NASA satellites captured an extraordinary sight high above the storm: enormous waves rippling through Earth's upper atmosphere.

Hurricane Simon was the latest in a series of powerful tropical cyclones to sweep across the Eastern Pacific during the 2026 hurricane season. On October 11, 2026, the Category 4 hurricane moved dangerously close to Mexico's coastline as it traveled north-northwest, with sustained winds reaching 250 kilometers (155 miles) per hour.

Hurricane Simon Batters Mexico's Pacific Coast

At approximately 2:30 p.m. local time (20:30 Universal Time) on October 11, the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument aboard NASA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of the massive storm. At that moment, Simon's eye was located roughly 50 kilometers (30 miles) offshore, between the coastal cities of Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta.