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Category 5 Polo Aims for Mexico, Spreads US Rain
28 Sep
Summary
- Hurricane Polo, a rare Category 5 storm, is expected to make landfall.
- Mexico's Baja California Sur and Sonora will face destructive winds and flooding.
- Moisture from Polo could cause significant, life-threatening flooding in the US Southwest.
Hurricane Polo, a storm that has reached Category 5 strength with winds of 180 miles per hour, is poised to make landfall in Mexico's Baja California Sur on Monday evening. The hurricane is expected to bring strong, destructive winds, dangerous storm surge, and heavy rainfall to the region through Monday night. Forecasters anticipate the storm will then track through northwestern Mexico, impacting areas like Sonora, Chihuahua, and northern Sinaloa, with these regions experiencing flooding rain and gusty winds.
While Polo is expected to weaken over mainland Mexico, its associated moisture will spread northward. This moisture is forecast to combine with other weather systems, significantly increasing the risk of widespread and potentially life-threatening flooding across the southwestern and central United States. The National Weather Service has issued flood watches for New Mexico, most of Arizona, central and southern Utah, and parts of Colorado, Texas, and Nevada, as some areas are already vulnerable from previous rainfall.
