Key facts
- Hurricane Polo is expected to make landfall on Mexico's Baja California Sur peninsula on Monday.
- The storm is forecast to bring life-threatening winds, flash floods, and mudslides.
- Polo is a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.
- Hurricane-force winds extend up to 40 miles from the storm's center.
- Tropical storm-force winds extend up to 105 miles from the storm's center.
- Polo is expected to produce 6 to 12 inches of rain across parts of Baja California Sur.
Hurricane Polo was bearing down on Mexico's Baja California Sur peninsula on Monday, threatening high winds, floods, and mudslides. Residents were boarding up homes and reinforcing embankments in anticipation of the storm's arrival. The Category 3 storm had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 40 miles from its center and tropical storm-force winds extending up to 105 miles.
Polo was forecast to make landfall on the peninsula late Monday afternoon or early Monday evening, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was expected to move into southern Sonora late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. While Polo was predicted to weaken as it tracked inland, it was still expected to be a hurricane with winds of at least 74 mph upon landfall on the mainland.
The storm could bring 6 to 12 inches of rain to parts of Baja California Sur, 4 to 6 inches to parts of Sonora, and up to 8 inches in other areas of Mexico. Forecasters warned that this rainfall could lead to life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly in mountainous regions. Mexican authorities ordered evacuations, opened shelters, and deployed military troops to vulnerable areas. Classes were suspended in Acapulco as officials coordinated preparedness efforts.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo had moved past Hawaii's Big Island over the weekend, bringing heavy rain and winds to the state.