Hurricane Polo hits Baja California, raising flood threat for US Southwest
Hurricane Polo made landfall early Tuesday in Mexico's Baja California state, bringing flash floods and winds that forecasters described as "life-threatening". The Category 2 storm came ashore just south of Las Barrancas with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph), the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
The storm was expected to dump 6 to 12 inches of rain across parts of Baja California Sur, with the risk of heavy flooding also extending later in the week to parts of the US Southwest. At the same time, Tropical Storm Rachel was moving parallel to Mexico's coast, while Hurricane Nolo remained a major storm but was moving away from Hawaii.
The hurricane centre said Polo hit land about 80 miles (130 kilometres) north of Cabo San Lazaro and about 70 miles (115 kilometres) south of Mulege. It was moving northeast at 13 mph (20 kph). On Monday, Polo had been a Category 3 storm with top sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph).
Forecasters had said the storm would hit the Mexican mainland with life-threatening winds and flash floods. Local authorities along the Baja California Peninsula said shelters were ready, travel would be suspended in the area and ports across the region would be closed. The Mexican navy said it had personnel ready across the northern Pacific coast and had deployed three vessels that could carry aid to coastal communities cut off by Polo.
In neighbouring Sonora state, the government announced on Monday night that it would suspend all "nonessential" activities, including school, sports and non-essential work, in the state capital and more than a dozen municipalities.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Rachel was moving parallel to Mexico's coast early Tuesday. The storm was about 300 miles (485 kilometres) west-southwest of Acapulco and about 315 miles (505 kilometres) south of Manzanillo, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph) while moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).
Pacific storm activity has been above average during what is already the peak of the hurricane season, according to National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec. He said that pattern was consistent with El Nino years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes. The impact was expected to reach the US Southwest, with Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Texas likely to receive inches of rain. Andrew Mangham, senior service hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said arid canyons and rocky ground with little vegetation were prone to flash flooding, and tropical weather increased the danger. "We're getting caught up here in a very, very short time," Mangham said. "And that's not really what we want. We want nice rains, you know, all summer long."
Hurricane Nolo was still a major hurricane on Monday night, but was edging away from Hawaii. It was about 425 miles (685 kilometres) west-southwest of Honolulu and about 330 miles (535 kilometres) south-southeast of French Frigate Shoals, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) while moving north-northwest at 15 mph (24 kph). Nolo drenched communities in the south and south-eastern parts of Hawaii's Big Island over the weekend, and Hawaii National Guard members rescued 19 people from flooding, the US National Guard said in a Facebook post.
The hurricane centre said Nolo was approaching the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a marine conservation area, and could bring dangerous conditions there from Tuesday. Overall, Polo's landfall in Mexico, Rachel's movement off the Pacific coast and Nolo's effects near Hawaii underlined an unusually active storm period across the Pacific.
