The Independent
· collected 2026-09-30 · by Mikella Schuettler and Jessica Hill
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.
Remnants of Hurricane Polo swept across the US Southwest on Tuesday evening after the system degraded over north-western Mexico, flooding roads and forcing residents in small New Mexico towns to evacuate over dam failure fears.
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system → sweep → fears
The storm had struck the Mexican state of Baja California Sur that morning with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (177 kph), before crossing the Gulf of California and weakening to a tropical storm as it moved north-east.
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it → strike → storm
By Tuesday evening, the New Mexico Department of Transportation reported highway flooding and debris across the state.
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Department → report → state
In neighbouring Arizona, heavy rainfall triggered several water rescues.
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rainfall → neighbour → rescues
The inundation was exacerbated by overnight storms on Monday, which had already saturated the ground throughout parts of the region.
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which → exacerbate → region
Later in the week, the flood risk is expected to move into parts of the central U.S., according to the National Weather Service.
uncertain
risk → 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.
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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.
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failure → prompt → Grande
People in Rincon, Salem and Garfield were told to seek higher ground immediately “before conditions worsen.”
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conditions → tell → ground
Residents were later told to evacuate from nearby Hatch, home to prized green chile crops, and farther north in Placitas.
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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.
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system → spread → event
“Definitely looking at the chances for urban flooding,” weather service meteorologist Carter Greulich in Albuquerque said.
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Greulich → look → Albuquerque
A person stranded on top of a vehicle in floodwaters west of Phoenix was rescued Tuesday morning.
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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.
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helicopter → take → car
And in Zion National Park, in Utah, a helicopter rescued three people in Heaps Canyon after flash flooding hit.
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flooding → rescue → Canyon
North of Phoenix, a truck was swept away in a wash.
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truck → sweep → wash
The driver got out safely, Maricopa County sheriff’s officials said.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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partner → begin → her
“The river came in and swept around the entirety of our house,” Dubay said.
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Dubay → come → house
A camper, snowmobile trailer, and other items from Dubay’s yard were swept away by the river.
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camper → sweep → river
Neighbors and friends arrived to dig a trench around the house as the water rose around their home.
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water → arrive → home
“It was coming in through our front doors,” she said.
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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.
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rainfall → set → nowhere
“Runoff is likely going to start much quicker and lead to those flooding impacts quicker,” Greulich said.
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Greulich → go → impacts
By late Tuesday, rain had started in parts of the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles.
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rain → start → panhandles
Baja California residents were ‘lucky’
Hurricane Polo pummeled Baja California Sur with powerful winds and rain as it made 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.
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that → pummel → homes
Seeing their roughened community largely intact brought relief to those who had prepared for the worst.
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who → see → worst
Shopkeeper Elbia María Bachomo, 40, picked through furniture strewn through her home.
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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.
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water → gather → home
Her husband was out on the water fishing for sardines when Polo hit.
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Polo → fish → sardines
Bachomo said he was fortunate to escape alive.
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he → say → ?
“I thought, ‘Oh no, what are we going to come back to?
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we → think → what
We will be left with nothing.’
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We → leave → nothing
But we were lucky,” she said.
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she → say → ?
Hundreds of people were in shelters Tuesday in Baja California Sur, but they were expected to return to their homes.
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they → expect → homes
Meanwhile, the hurricane center reported Tropical Storm Rachel was moving parallel to Mexico’s coast Tuesday and was expected to become a hurricane soon.
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Rachel → report → coast
It was moving northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).
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It → move → mph
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
