Hurricane Polo Hits Baja, Sends Historic Moisture Into US

Category 2 Hurricane Polo struck Baja California Sur with 110 mph winds and its remnants now fuel a near-record flood threat across the Southwest.

Hurricane Polo made landfall early Tuesday just south of Las Barrancas, Mexico, about 80 miles north of Cabo San Lazaro, as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The storm lashed the state of Baja California Sur with heavy rain, flooding coastal areas and toppling trees in towns such as Puerto San Carlos, where residents waded through ankle-high water and downed trees. By midday Tuesday, Polo had crossed the Gulf of California and made a second landfall in Sonora, weakening to a tropical storm.

Mexican authorities reported no serious damage or deaths from the initial landfall, and about 700 people who sheltered were expected to return home. Baja California Sur Gov. Víctor Castro said the hurricane's passage 'has brought us rain, but no loss of life.' Roughly 6 to 12 inches of rain were forecast across parts of the state, and Sonora officials suspended all nonessential activities, including school, sports and nonessential work, in the state capital and more than a dozen municipalities. The Mexican navy deployed three vessels to ship aid to coastal communities that could be isolated by the storm.

The Weather Channel reports that atmospheric moisture over southern Arizona, New Mexico and far west Texas is near or slightly surpassing historical records for late September, with rainfall rates up to two inches per hour in the plume moving north through northern Mexico and the Southwest. National Weather Service Dodge City meteorologist Jonathan Finch wrote that heavy rain from tropical-system remnants is 'very rare' across western Kansas. Meteorologists also warned that quick tornadoes could spawn overnight, and that dry washes, slot canyons and burn scars should be avoided.

Bands of rain swept across the U.S. Southwest on Tuesday, surging desert rivers and turning dry arroyos into torrents, with nearly the whole region under flood watches. Phoenix saw up to 2 inches of rain, and a truck was swept away in a wash in the New River area north of the city, though the driver escaped safely, according to Maricopa County sheriff's officials. Near Zion National Park, the East Fork of the Virgin River carried a shipping container downstream, and in Orderville, Utah, flooding surrounded homes and swept away yard items. The Weather Channel says the highest confirmed rainfall total so far is 3.91 inches in Bullhead City, Arizona.

Forecasters expect the flood risk to shift east into Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado on Wednesday, with severe storms possible that could bring hail, winds and an isolated tornado. Starting late Wednesday, widespread heavy rain was forecast for the Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio areas, with life-threatening flash flooding possible in low-lying areas. Parts of west Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa were under flood watches through Thursday with up to 5 inches of rain expected, and a stripe of 3 to 5 inches or more was forecast from Kansas to northern Illinois, per The Weather Channel.

Pacific storm activity has been above average during the peak of hurricane season, a pattern National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec said is consistent with El Niño years, when the Pacific often produces more tropical storms and hurricanes. Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo remained a dangerous Category 3 storm Tuesday, edging away from Hawaii after drenching the Big Island over the weekend and prompting the Hawaii National Guard to rescue 19 people from flooding, according to the U.S. National Guard. Tropical Storm Rachel was also moving parallel to Mexico's coast with 65 mph winds.