Hurricane Polo churns in the Pacific, fueling flood threat for millions in the Southwest and Mexico
At one point, Hurricane Polo was one of the most powerful hurricanes on record in the Eastern Pacific, but it has since been downgraded to a Category 3 storm.
Hurricane Polo and Nolo continue to churn in the Pacific
HURRICANE UPDATE: A parade of storms continues to brew across the Pacific as Hurricane Nolo is expected to become a major hurricane as it gradually strengthens. Meanwhile, Hurricane Polo threatens the Southwest U.S., fueling a level 3 out of 4 flood threat across more than 10 states.
Hurricane Polo continues to develop in the Pacific as it churns closer to Mexico and the southwestern U.S., prompting storm warnings in preparation for the worst.
At one point, Hurricane Polo was one of the most powerful hurricanes on record in the Eastern Pacific, but it has since been downgraded to a Category 3 storm.
Polo is expected to make landfall on Monday as a hurricane, with the potential to heavily impact Mexico and the Southwest.
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Because of the impending threat, a Hurricane Warning is in effect across central Baja California, extending to Santa Fe, Mexico.
This is unusual, as the last hurricane to make landfall in Baja California, Mexico, was Norma in October 2023.
TOPSHOT - Wind blows palm trees before the arrival of hurricane Norma at Los Cabos, Baja California State, Mexico, on October 21, 2023. Hurricane Norma is expected to slam into Mexico's northwestern coast within hours, bringing "life-threatening" winds, flooding, and a dangerous sea surge, authorities warned Saturday. The storm, still powerful though downgraded overnight from Category 3 to Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, was headed toward a part of Mexico's Baja California coast popular with tourists. (JOEL COSIO/AFP / Getty Images)
Forecasters expect the storm to drop up to 10 inches of rain across the region, which could result in life-threatening flooding and mudslides in especially steep areas.
Due to the increasing storm threat, California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency.
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"That is what this action is about," Newsom said. "Giving communities the support they need, giving first responders the tools to do their jobs, and giving families the confidence that their state is ready."
Currently, Polo is forecast to approach the West Coast of Baja California Sur on Monday and move across the peninsula later in the evening, when Americans in California will eventually start to see the effects of the storm.
At its strongest, Hurricane Polo produced wind gusts up to 110 mph and the second-lowest pressure ever observed in the East or Central Pacific, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Impacts are expected in the southwestern U.S., mainly California, New Mexico and Arizona, as well as northwest Texas.
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Nearly the entire state of Arizona is under a Flood Watch, including popular cities such as Flagstaff and Tucson.
Since 1950, only nine remnant tropical storms or hurricanes have survived the trio over the mountains and deserts of the Southwest to affect southern Arizona or New Mexico.
Popular locations that could see impacts from the hurricane include El Paso, Texas, where the National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch through Tuesday night as the storm inches closer.
BENSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 29: A heavy rain storm approaches on September 29, 2016 near Benson, Arizona. Stoms have greened traditionally dryer areas north of the U.S.-Mexico border. ( John Moore / Getty Images)
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The severity of potential impacts to the Southwest from Hurricane Polo remains uncertain, but it will surely bring repeated rounds of heavy rain that will fuel the ongoing flood threat.
Stay with FOX Weather all weekend long for live coverage tracking the storm and the worst impacts still to come.