Mexico warns of dangerous winds and flooding as Hurricane Polo nears Baja California Sur

Loreto, Mexico. Mexican authorities urged residents of Baja California Sur to prepare for Hurricane Polo on Monday, warning of life-threatening winds and flash floods. The storm was expected to make landfall in the state that evening.

Storm forecast

On Monday afternoon, Polo was about 80 miles (125 km) west-southwest of Cabo San Lazaro, with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph (185 kph) and higher gusts, according to the US National Hurricane Centre. The centre said the storm was expected to move inland into southern Sonora on Tuesday morning.

“Conditions deteriorating over portions of Baja California as life-threatening winds and flash floods expected to occur soon,” the centre said in a post on X. It forecast 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) of rain across Baja California Sur, raising the risk of life-threatening flooding and mudslides.

Private forecaster AccuWeather said Polo had weakened slightly but was still expected to make landfall as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane. It said the storm was headed for a sparsely populated area that includes Las Barrancas and San Juanico, each of which has fewer than 1,000 residents, according to the latest census.

Preparations and disruption

Restaurant and store owners in Loreto and Ciudad Constitucion boarded up doors and windows overnight. Access to beaches was restricted and maritime activities suspended in high-risk areas, Laura Velazquez, head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, said during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning news conference.

Velazquez asked residents to remain calm, saying power and internet services would most likely be unavailable for a few hours, until midnight. Polo has tracked off Mexico’s Pacific coast for several days, bringing heavy rain, destructive waves and strong winds and prompting evacuations, port closures and school cancellations.