Hurricane Polo is moving toward the United States after striking Mexico’s Pacific coast with powerful winds, torrential rain and dangerous surf. Officials are warning that the storm could bring life-threatening flash flooding.
Polo made landfall late Monday along the western coast of Baja California Sur, just south of the small community of Las Barrancas, the National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane was likely a Category 2 storm when it reached the coast, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 105 to 110 mph.
By early Tuesday, Polo had weakened as it moved over land but continued to generate hurricane-force conditions. Sustained winds were measured at 75 mph, with stronger gusts, according to the NHC.
The storm has already lashed Mexico’s Pacific coastline with intense rain, destructive surf and powerful winds, flooding streets and damaging property.
Forecasters now say Polo’s moisture could fuel life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in mountainous terrain.
As Polo tracks across Mexico, as much as “34 trillion gallons of rainfall headed toward the Southwest and Central U.S,” could follow, Crisis Response International said in a social media post.
The National Weather Service issued a bulletin for parts of western Texas and New Mexico, warning of “potentially life-threatening flash flooding” through early Wednesday.
Flooding has already been reported in parts of New Mexico, where the Rio Grande is rising beyond its banks.
The flood threat is expected to move eastward, with officials warning of possible flash flooding from central Texas to central Oklahoma through Thursday.
“Several inches of rain are possible, with 5–6+ inches possible across parts of Texas,” one meteorologist wrote on social media.
“Repeated rounds of storms could cause rainfall to pile up quickly, leading to life-threatening flash flooding.”
Although Polo’s most severe impacts may be pulling away from Southern California, coastal areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties could still experience effects from the storm.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday canceled an earlier high-surf and coastal-flooding warning, while cautioning that hazardous ocean conditions could persist.
“The surf from Hurricane Polo has peaked and will lower rather quickly through Wednesday, but strong rip currents may linger,” the bulletin said.
“While the high tide will be lower on Wednesday compared to today, it will lower only a little and will likely still be above 7.0 feet.”
Polo may also not be the final storm to affect the Southern California coastline.
Officials said Tropical Storm Rachel is expected to generate “larger” swells than Polo along Southern California from early to mid-next week.
Rachel was nearing hurricane strength Tuesday as it moved along Mexico’s southwestern coast, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, according to the NHC.
“Large waves could produce life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along portions of the southwestern coast of Mexico during the next several days.”