Mexico28 September, 20262 min read
Hurricane Polo Makes Landfall in Baja California, Heads Toward Second Impact in Sonora
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Hurricane Polo struck Baja California Sur with Category 2 winds near 175 km/h. A second landfall occurred in Sonora near Guaymas on the Sea of Cortez.
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Polo hits Baja, targets Sonora
Hurricane Polo made landfall early Tuesday in the Mexican state of Baja California with flash flooding and winds described by forecasters as “life-threatening.”
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the Category 2 hurricane struck land just south of Las Barrancas, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph) while moving northeast at 13 mph (20 kph).
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Polo was expected to produce 6-12 inches (about 15 to 30 centimeters) of rain across parts of Baja California Sur and to cross the Gulf of California before a second impact on Sonora.
The government of the northern Mexican state of Sonora announced it would suspend all “nonessential” activities, including school, sports and non-essential work in the state capital and more than a dozen municipalities.
Shelters, evacuations, no deaths
Baja California Sur authorities activated 169 temporary shelters with capacity for more than 24,000 people across the state's five municipalities, according to local authorities.
About 700 people sought shelter as Polo approached, while authorities reported no deaths in Comondu, a municipality in western Baja California Sur, Loreto, a municipality on the state's eastern coast, and Mulege, in the northeast.
State authorities ordered emergency evacuations in southern municipalities including Guaymas, Empalme, Benito Juarez and Vicam, and officials said 543 people hunkered down in shelters as the storm rolled in.
Baja California Sur Gov. Víctor Manuel Castro said no lives were lost due to the storm, and Bertha Lopez of Loreto told Reuters, “At my house we tied all down. We prepared very well. We expected it to be stronger, but thank God it wasn't so disastrous.”
Storm surge, rain totals, wider risk
The NHC warned of life-threatening flooding and mudslides and forecast rainfall of 150 to 305 millimeters (6 to 12 inches) in parts of Baja California Sur and 100 to 150 millimeters (4 to 6 inches) in southern and central Sonora, with local totals of up to 200 millimeters (8 inches). The AccuWeather forecast said a storm surge of 1-3 feet was forecast near and just south of where the eye moved ashore, and it said wind gusts of 80-100 mph would bring the risk of power outages and tree and property damage.
The AccuWeather forecast also said a general 2-8 inches of rain was forecast along the path of Polo, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 18 inches. The National Hurricane Center projected Polo’s core would continue moving across Baja California Sur before moving inland over southern Sonora late this morning, and it said the core would weaken slightly but remain a hurricane for its second landfall over mainland Mexico.