Hurricane Polo hits Baja California Sur, then threatens floods in US Southwest

Hurricane Polo battered Mexico's Baja California Sur state on Tuesday with strong winds and heavy rain, flooding coastal areas and strewing streets with fallen trees after making landfall as a Category 2 storm. Authorities said about 700 people were still in shelters, but no serious damage or deaths were immediately reported and they were expected to return home.

After crossing the Gulf of California, Polo made a second landfall and weakened to a tropical storm as it moved inland through Sonora. Its remnants were then expected to move northeast, adding to heavy rain and flood risks across parts of the US Southwest and later the central United States, while another storm, Rachel, strengthened off Mexico's southwestern coast.

The hurricane came ashore just south of Las Barrancas, about 80 miles north of Cabo San Lazaro, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. Forecasters said Polo could dump 6 to 12 inches of rain across parts of Baja California Sur. Sonora officials suspended all non-essential activities, including school, sports and non-essential work in the state capital and more than a dozen municipalities, as the storm was expected to bring life-threatening winds and flash floods to the mainland.

In the fishing town of Puerto San Carlos on the Baja California peninsula, residents walked through ankle-deep water around fallen trees after the storm passed. Some homes were flooded, but many were relieved to find the town largely intact.

Shopkeeper Elbia Mara Bachomo, 40, said she and her three children had quickly gathered clothes and gone to a shelter on Monday as water began entering their home. Her husband was at sea fishing for sardines when Polo hit, and she said he was fortunate to survive. "I thought, Oh no, what are we going to come back to? We will be left with nothing. But we were lucky," she said.

In the US Southwest, bands of rain continued to move across the region on Tuesday, sending water into desert rivers and usually dry arroyos. Nearly the entire region was under flood watches as the broader tropical system spread northeast from Mexico.

"Definitely looking at the chances for urban flooding," National Weather Service meteorologist Carter Greulich said in Albuquerque. "Don't drive through flooded roadways. Remain out of the arroyos, especially in our urban areas." Forecasters warned that north-central New Mexico, including Albuquerque and Santa Fe, could get 4 inches or more of rain in some places through Wednesday.

The system moved quickly through Phoenix early on Tuesday, dropping up to 2 inches of rain before easing. North of the city, a truck was swept away in a wash in the New River area, but the driver got out safely, Maricopa County sheriff's officials said. In Utah, near Zion National Park, the East Fork of the Virgin River surged with muddy floodwater, carrying a shipping container downstream.

In Orderville, Utah, where flooding began on Monday night, Sabrina Dubay said she was driving home when her partner called and told her to stay away. "The river came in and swept around the entirety of our house," Dubay said, adding that her partner told her, "We're about to lose everything." She said a camper, a snowmobile trailer and other items from the yard were washed away. "It was coming in through our front doors," she said.

Flooding was also reported in southern New Mexico, where an already wet September had left the ground saturated. Greulich said, "Runoff is likely going to start much quicker and lead to those flooding impacts quicker." Forecasters said parts of west Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa were under flood watch through Thursday, with some places expecting up to 5 inches of rain. From late Wednesday, widespread heavy rain was expected in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio areas, with life-threatening flash flooding possible, especially in low-lying areas.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Rachel was forecast to become a major hurricane by Thursday as it moved parallel to Mexico's southwestern coast. It was about 270 miles west-southwest of Lazaro Cardenos with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and was moving west-northwest at 12 mph. Forecasters said some parts of the Mexican coast could receive up to 12 inches of rain, raising the risk of flooding and mudslides.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Hurricane Nolo remained a dangerous Category 3 storm on Tuesday as it moved away from Hawaii after drenching parts of the Big Island over the weekend. It was about 225 miles southeast of French Frigate Shoals with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and was moving north at 8 mph. The hurricane was approaching Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, as Pacific storm activity continued above average during the peak of the hurricane season.

Overall, Polo hit Baja California Sur with strong winds and heavy rain before weakening over Sonora, while its remnants threatened more flooding in the US Southwest and central states. At the same time, Rachel was strengthening off Mexico's coast and Nolo remained a powerful storm in the central Pacific.