Deadly Rains From Hurricane Polo Kill Two Children in Mexico, Triggers Flood Watches in 11 US States
Hurricane Polo's rains killed two children in Mexico even before the storm made landfall, officials confirmed. Polo has since come ashore twice and pushed inland, and its flooding rain has now triggered flood watches across 11 U.S. states.
Polo Comes Ashore Twice, Toppling Trees and Cutting Power
Polo made its first landfall just south of Las Barrancas in Baja California Sur late Monday night. Winds were sustained at 110 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm struck a stretch of coastline far less populated than the Los Cabos resort corridor. Even so, the sea breached sand barriers in at least one nearby fishing village. Streets flooded, power went out, and palm trees swayed violently in the wind. Mexico's National Weather Service recorded sustained winds of 150 to 170 km/h, gusts up to 200 km/h, and waves 7 to 9 meters high.
Polo made a second landfall Tuesday morning near Guaymas in the Mexican state of Sonora, after crossing the Gulf of California. It came ashore weaker, but still as a dangerous hurricane. Fallen tree branches were reported in Loreto. Authorities in Sonora suspended nonessential activities ahead of the storm, including school and work, across the state capital and more than a dozen municipalities. Roughly 169 shelters opened across Baja California Sur, though only a handful of homes and businesses in the hardest-hit areas had been boarded up or sandbagged in advance.
Mexico's National Weather Service head, Fabián Vázquez, warned that storm surge and heavy rain could cause what he called "very severe" damage. The Mexican navy said it had personnel and three vessels ready along the northern Pacific coast, prepared to deliver aid to communities isolated by the storm.
Flooding Rain Turns Deadly, Flood Watches Span 11 U.S. States
Rainfall of 6 to 12 inches was forecast for Baja California Sur, with 4 to 8 inches expected across Sonora. That rain proved fatal before Polo even reached land: two children were killed in flooding tied to the storm, according to reports from the affected region.
Polo is now weakening as it moves inland over Mexico's rugged Sierra Madre Occidental. Some of its moisture and circulation are expected to spread into the southwestern United States. Flood watches are in effect across 11 states, including most of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Texas.
What's Next
Forecasters expect Polo to degrade into a tropical depression and remnant rainstorm as it continues over the mountains. Its moisture could then combine with a separate, large non-tropical storm system sweeping east from the Great Basin and Rockies. That combination could bring both beneficial rain and renewed flash flooding risk to parts of the Southwest and Plains through midweek.
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