It means Rachel no longer has enough tropical characteristics to be classified as a tropical cyclone, but it is not harmless. The National Hurricane Center defines a post-tropical cyclone as a former tropical cyclone that can still carry heavy rain and high winds. The National Weather Service downgraded Rachel on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, after it caused flooding and damage in Southern California, and its remnants kept bringing flash-flood risk, wind gusts and high surf as they moved inland across the desert Southwest. Las Vegas set a daily rainfall record on Sunday, and a flood watch was issued for much of Utah, including Salt Lake City.
Source: NPR — Tropical Storm Rachel downgraded as high winds and rain turn inward (Oct. 11, 2026); definition from the National Hurricane Center glossary.
Image: GOES satellite view of a tropical storm reaching Southern California (Tropical Storm Hilary, 2023), shown for illustration. CSU/CIRA and NOAA, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.