Mexico’s Pacific coast braces for Hurricane Polo’s life-threatening landfall

Mexican authorities urged residents of Baja California Sur to prepare for the imminent arrival of major Hurricane Polo on Monday, warning of deadly winds and flash floods. “Conditions deteriorating over portions of Baja California as life-threatening winds and flash floods expected to occur soon,” the US National Hurricane Centre said in a post on X. Restaurant and store owners in the small coastal towns of Loreto and Ciudad Constitucion boarded up doors and windows overnight to protect their businesses, in anticipation of worsening weather conditions. Polo is expected to make landfall in the state of Baja California Sur in the evening, then move inland into southern Sonora on Tuesday morning, the NHC said in a bulletin. Access to beaches has been restricted and maritime activities suspended in high-risk areas in the state, Laura Velazquez, head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, said during Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning news conference. Velazquez asked citizens to remain calm as power and internet services will most likely be out for a few hours, until midnight. On Monday afternoon, the Category 3 hurricane was about 80 miles (125 km) west-southwest of Cabo San Lazaro in Baja California Sur, with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph (185 kph) and higher gusts, according to the NHC. The storm is expected to dump 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) of rain across the state, raising the risk of life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Despite weakening slightly, Polo is expected to make landfall as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane, private ​forecaster AccuWeather said. It noted the storm was set to hit a sparsely populated area, though small towns, including Las Barrancas and San Juanico – both with fewer than 1,000 residents, according to the latest census – lie in its path. Polo, which has tracked off Mexico’s Pacific coast for several days, has brought heavy rain, destructive waves and strong winds, prompting evacuations, port closures and school cancellations. After passing the Baja California peninsula, home to tourist destinations, including Los Cabos and the Arch of Cabo San Lucas, Polo is expected to weaken. However, it could still make a second landfall on mainland Mexico as a hurricane. Two landfalls, widespread impact Polo is expected to make a second landfall in southern Sonora late Monday or early Tuesday, the NHC said. The Baja California state government has opened temporary shelters in five municipalities for residents of high-risk areas. Early in the morning, 78 people had been evacuated as a precautionary measure to a shelter in Ciudad Constitucion. The civil protection agency urged residents to stay home but said that if their homes are at risk, they should move to temporary shelters. Sonora is expected to receive 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) of rain, with isolated totals of up to 8 inches (20 cm), raising the risk of life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Storm surge could also bring significant coastal flooding and large, destructive waves to both the Baja California peninsula and Mexico’s mainland Pacific coast. Storm Rachel expected to become hurricane Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Rachel, currently around 225 miles from Acapulco on the Pacific coast, was moving toward the west-northwest at a speed of 8 mph, according to the NHC. Rachel is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by midweek and remain offshore, moving parallel to Mexico’s southwestern coast.