Track powerful Hurricane Polo's path as it continues to move - USA Today
Hurricane Polo is expected to move inland along the coast of Baja California Sur on Monday afternoon or evening, then move inland into the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
According to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Polo is located about 125 miles southwest of Cabo San Lazaro, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph and higher gusts. The Category 3 hurricane is forecast to be near major hurricane strength when it reaches Baja California Sur and weaken slightly before making landfall in mainland Mexico.
Forecasters said Polo is expected to bring life-threatening winds and flash flooding over portions of Baja California Sur and Sonora Monday, Sept. 28, and Tuesday, Sept. 29, with conditions expected to begin deteriorating in Baja California Sur early Monday morning.
The NHC said the Mexican government has issued a hurricane warning for the west coast of Baja California Sur, from Punta Abreojos to Santa Fe, and the east coast of the state from Loreto to Bahia San Juan Bautista. Mainland Mexico also has a hurricane warning in effect from BahiΜa Kino to Huatabampito.
A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case within 12 to 30 hours, and that preparations to protect life and property "should be rushed to completion," according to the hurricane center.
Forecasters said hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area along the west coast of Baja California Sur by late Monday afternoon, with tropical storm conditions beginning in the southern portion of the warning area late Monday morning. These conditions are expected to spread northward and eastward throughout the day.
Polo is forecast to produce rainfall totals between 6-12 inches across portions of the state, with rainfall totals between 4-6 inches with maximum totals around 8 inches expected across southern and central portions of Sonora. The rain could produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, forecasters said.
"A storm surge could produce significant coastal flooding in areas of onshore winds," forecasters said in the advisory. "Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves."
The remnants of Polo are expected to dump heavy rain across the central United States this week, forecasters said. Around the same time that what is left of Polo enters the United States, a large non-tropical storm will be sweeping eastward from the Great Basin and Rockies, AccuWeather said.
"As the two features combine, perhaps into a massive hybrid storm system, areas of beneficial rain and flash flooding are likely to unfold," AccuWeather meteorologist Alyssa Glenny said.
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on XΒ @GabeHauariΒ or email him at Gdhauari@usatoday.com.
