Story summary
Hurricane Polo, a powerful Category 3 hurricane, was barreling towards Mexico's Baja California Sur state on September 28, threatening high winds, floods, and mudslides. The storm had maximum sustained winds near 115 mph (185 km/h) and was expected to make landfall later that day or early Tuesday morning. Residents stocked up on essentials like drinking water and food as the hurricane approached, while officials warned of life-threatening conditions due to heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding.
The storm forced evacuations in some areas, such as Puerto San Carlos, a fishing town with around 5,700 people, where residents feared seawater could breach barriers. Meanwhile, forecasters predicted Polo would dump between 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) of rain across Baja California Sur, raising the risk of life-threatening flooding and mudslides.
As Hurricane Nolo moved away from Hawaii, it still posed a threat with potential torrential rain. Mexican authorities urged residents to prepare for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Polo by unplugging electrical appliances and securing their homes against strong winds and heavy rains that could cause power outages. Local businesses boarded up doors and windows overnight in coastal cities like Loreto and Ciudad Constitucion, as worsening weather conditions hampered further preparations. Schools were ordered closed on Monday to ensure public safety.
Written for “Hurricane Polo Threatens Mexico” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 19 other(s) covering the same event.
Hurricane Polo's remnants bringing more rain to flood-struck U.S. Southwest
PHOENIX —
asserted
remnants → bring → Southwest
As former Hurricane Polo weakened over northwestern Mexico on Tuesday evening, the storm's remnants battered the U.S. Southwest, flooding roadways and forcing residents in small New Mexico towns to evacuate over concerns about a dam failing.
asserted
dam → weaken → concerns
Polo had struck the Mexican state of Baja California Sur in the morning with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (177 kph).
asserted
Polo → strike → mph
It crossed the Gulf of California and weakened to become a tropical storm as it moved inland to the northeast.
asserted
it → cross → northeast
By Tuesday evening, the New Mexico Department of Transportation reported flooded roads and debris on highways across the state, while parts of Arizona had become especially drenched, leading to several water rescues.
asserted
parts → report → rescues
That is after storms rolled through parts of the U.S. Southwest overnight Monday, saturating the ground, which can make flooding worse.
asserted
flooding → roll → ground
Later in the week, the flood risk is expected to move into parts of the central U.S., with heavy rain hitting Texas and Oklahoma beginning Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
uncertain
rain → expect → Service
Southwest US sees heavy rains and floods
Bands of rain continued to sweep across the U.S. Southwest, causing desert rivers to surge and usually dry arroyos to rage with floodwater.
asserted
arroyos → see → floodwater
The potential failure of the dam in south central New Mexico prompted evacuations in three small communities with hundreds of residents along the Rio Grande.
asserted
failure → prompt → Grande
People in Rincon, Salem and Garfield were told to seek higher ground immediately "before conditions worsen."
asserted
conditions → tell → ground
Residents were later told to evacuate from nearby Hatch, home to prized green chile crops, and farther north in Placitas.
asserted
Residents → tell → Placitas
Wide swaths of the U.S. Southwest were under flood watches as the complex system of tropical weather spread northeast from Mexico, with Polo as the main event.
asserted
system → spread → event
"Definitely looking at the chances for urban flooding," weather service meteorologist Carter Greulich in Albuquerque said.
asserted
Greulich → look → Albuquerque
"
A person stranded on top of a vehicle in floodwaters west of Phoenix was rescued Tuesday morning.
asserted
person → strand → Phoenix
Video taken by Arizona Fire and Medical Services showed a helicopter lowering a rescuer to a person clinging to their overturned car.
asserted
helicopter → take → car
And in Zion National Park, in Utah, a helicopter rescued three people in Heaps Canyon after flash flooding hit.
asserted
flooding → rescue → Canyon
North of Phoenix, a truck was swept away in a wash.
asserted
truck → sweep → wash
The driver got out safely, Maricopa County sheriff's officials said.
asserted
officials → get → ?
The rocky, desert area typically gets less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain annually with little vegetation to soak it up, making flash flooding a perpetual risk.
asserted
flooding → get → it
The Bureau of Land Management in Arizona also reported significant flooding and damage to access roads in a national conservation area and a sand dunes recreation area in the southeastern part of the state.
asserted
Bureau → report → state
Back in Utah, the East Fork of the Virgin River near Zion raged with chocolate floodwater and a shipping container floated downstream.
asserted
container → rag → floodwater
In the small town of Orderville, Utah, where flooding began Monday night, Sabrina Dubay was driving home when her partner called and told her to stay away.
asserted
partner → begin → her
"The river came in and swept around the entirety of our house," Dubay said.
asserted
Dubay → come → house
A camper, snowmobile trailer, and other items from Dubay's yard were swept away by the river.
asserted
camper → sweep → river
Neighbors and friends arrived to dig a trench around the house as the water rose around their home.
asserted
water → arrive → home
"It was coming in through our front doors," she said.
asserted
she → come → doors
An unusually soggy September across the region set the stage: When the ground is saturated, rainfall has nowhere to go but run off.
asserted
rainfall → set → nowhere
"Runoff is likely going to start much quicker and lead to those flooding impacts quicker," Greulich said.
asserted
Greulich → go → impacts
By late Tuesday, rain had started in parts of the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles.
asserted
rain → start → panhandles
Hurricane Polo pummeled Baja California Sur with powerful winds and rain as it made landfall.
asserted
it → pummel → landfall
After Polo passed over the small fishing town of Puerto San Carlos on the Baja California peninsula, residents waded among downed trees through ankle-high water that flooded some homes.
asserted
that → pass → homes
Seeing their roughened community largely intact brought relief to those who had prepared for the worst.
asserted
who → see → worst
Shopkeeper Elbia María Bachomo, 40, picked through furniture strewn through her home.
asserted
Bachomo → pick → home
She and her three children had gathered their clothes quickly and left for a shelter Monday as water began flooding into their home.
asserted
water → gather → home
Her husband was out on the water fishing for sardines when Polo hit.
asserted
Polo → fish → sardines
Bachomo said he was fortunate to escape alive.
asserted
he → say → ?
"I thought, 'Oh no, what are we going to come back to?
asserted
we → think → what
We will be left with nothing.'
asserted
We → leave → nothing
But we were lucky," she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
Hundreds of people were in shelters Tuesday in Baja California Sur, but they were expected to return to their homes.
asserted
they → expect → homes
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
