Wind whipped Mexico’s northern Pacific coast and water began to flood some streets Monday as Hurricane Polo bore down on Baja California Sur, threatening flash floods and mudslides. Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo could still bring torrential rain to parts of Hawaii even as the storm edges away from the state.
Laura Velazquez, national coordinator of Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency, reported that Polo would make landfall later in the afternoon.
The government of the northern Mexican state of Sonora on Monday night announced it would suspend all “non-essential” activities, including school, sports and non-essential work, in the state capital and more than a dozen municipalities due to the incoming hurricane. With Polo approaching Mexico, the Mexican navy said it had personnel ready across the northern Pacific coast and deployed three vessels that could ship aid to coastal communities isolated by the storm. Local authorities along the Baja California Peninsula said they had shelters at the ready.
It could bring heavy rain and flooding to parts of the US Southwest later in the week. At a Monday morning news briefing, Velazquez urged residents to stay off the streets and seek shelter if their homes are at risk. At the same time, Tropical Storm Rachel was brewing over Mexico’s southwest coast. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
Because this is a high-risk area, “Civil Protection told those of us here in San Carlos to evacuate. Hurricane Polo was a Category 3 storm with top sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) Monday, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It’s expected to produce 6-12 inches (about 15 to 30 centimeters) of rain across parts of Baja California Sur. The hurricane center said Monday that Rachel had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (96.6 kph) and was located about 250 miles (402.3 kilometers) southwest of Acapulco.
With the current tides, the expected waves and the wind, the earthen barriers they built (to prevent flooding) could give way,” Rocio Sanchez, a fisherwoman, said. Forecasters said it would hit the Mexican mainland after lashing Baja California Sur, and that life threatening winds and flash floods were expected. She said travel will be suspended in the area where the hurricane was expected to make landfall and that ports across the region would be closed.
