Hurricane Polo Makes Landfall in Mexico, Twice

Hurricane Polo pummeled the Mexican state of Baja California Sur with powerful winds and rain as it made landfall Tuesday, leaving coastal areas flooded and streets littered with fallen trees. The Category 2 hurricane struck land just south of Las Barrancas, Mexico, about 80 miles north of Cabo San Lazaro, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, the AP reports. About 700 people remained in shelters Tuesday. But they were expected to return to their homes, and no serious damage or deaths were immediately reported, according to authorities.

By midday Tuesday, Polo made a second landfall and weakened to become a tropical storm as it moved inland through the Mexican state of Sonora after crossing the Gulf of California. Remnants of the storm were expected to track northeastward, adding to heavy rains already bringing floods to parts of the US Southwest. Forecasters warned north-central New Mexico, including Albuquerque and Santa Fe, could feel the brunt of the complex tropical system, with as much as 3 to 4 inches of rain through Wednesday and possibly more.

• Bands of rain continued to sweep across the US Southwest on Tuesday, causing desert rivers to surge and usually dry arroyos to rage with floodwater. Nearly all of the region was under flood watches as the complex system of tropical weather—with Polo the main event—spread northeast from Mexico. "Definitely looking at the chances for urban flooding," said National Weather Service meteorologist Carter Greulich in Albuquerque. "Don't drive through flooded roadways. Remain out of the arroyos, especially in our urban areas."
• Forecasters said the flood risk would move into parts of the central US beginning late Tuesday and into Wednesday. Starting late Wednesday, widespread heavy rain was expected to hit the Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio areas. Life-threatening flash flooding was possible, with low-lying areas especially vulnerable. Parts of west Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa were under flood watch through Thursday, with some areas expecting up to 5 inches of rain.