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Hurricane Polo made landfall in the dead of night, bringing 110mph winds, deadly flash flooding and mudslides to the rugged Baja California Sur coastline, just south of Las Barrancas.
At landfall, Hurricane Polo was classified as a Category 2 hurricane by the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) with a minimum central pressure of 965 millibars. Hurricane force winds extended some 40 miles from the center, accompanied by tropical storm force winds stretching over 100 miles outward. Storm surge threatened significant coastal flooding along both the Pacific and Gulf of California sides of Baja's rugged coastline.
By Tuesday morning the storm continued on a northeast track and made a second landfall on the Mexican mainland near southern Sonora, still at hurricane strength but quickly weakening as it moved inland. Even as the core collapsed, a massive plume of moisture pushed northward through the U.S., heading toward the Four Corners Region and the Central Plains by week's end.
A flood watch has been issued for 11 states — including most of Arizona and New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and parts of Texas. More than 14 million Americans face major flooding risk as the remnant moisture bears down on the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Rainfall totals in Baja California Sur could reach 6 to 12 inches in some areas. Southern and central Sonora face 4 to 6 inches, with isolated spots seeing up to 8 inches. The NHC continues to stress the threat of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly in inland regions with steep terrain.
Mexican emergency responders mobilized before landfall. The Mexican government issued Hurricane Warnings for the west coast of Baja California Sur from Punta Abreojos to Santa Fe and on the mainland coast from Bahia Kino to Huatabampito.
Even as Polo's core collapses, emergency managers across the Southwest and into the Plains are urging residents to prepare for potentially historic rainfall in drought-affected regions where hardened soil will not absorb water quickly.
