Hurricane Polo made landfall on Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Tuesday, cutting power and causing flooding as the sea breached coastal defences. The Category 3 storm is the latest in a busy storm season turbo-charged by the El Niño weather phenomenon which has caused unprecedented warming in the equatorial Pacific. Polo hit just south of Las Barrancas, a small fishing village in Baja California Sur state on Mexico's west side, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said, warning of life-threatening winds and flash flooding.
As Polo approached, strong winds churned the sea and waves off Puerto San Carlos, a fishing port of nearly 6,000 people in Baja California Sur. reporters noted that the sea had already breached several sections of a sand barrier, causing water to pour into the street. The town's power supply was cut, palm trees swayed violently in the wind and Mexican authorities ordered residents to take shelter. Juan Manuel Sarabia had boarded up the facade of his home and reinforced it with wooden beams.
"It's coming with full force," the 53-year-old whale-watching and fishing guide told AFP. On Tuesday, Polo had sustained winds of up to 175 kilometres per hour, the NHC said. This year's Pacific hurricane season is shaping up as more severe than usual, as a Super El Niño, an extreme version of a recurring weather pattern, wreaks devastation, in the form of historic droughts and flooding.
Meteorologists have issued Polo-related warnings of heavy rain and flooding in parts of 10 US states including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado. Several of the states are experiencing drought. The head of Mexico's meteorological service, Fabian Vazquez, said storm surges and heavy rains could cause "very severe" damage.
Some 169 shelters have been opened across Baja California Sur. At one high school near the sea, shopkeeper Maria Palomino was preparing to ride out the storm on a mattress on the floor. "If something happens, it's better to come to the shelter," the 57-year-old said.
"We'll be among people we know." Only a handful of homes and businesses in the town were boarded up or sandbagged against flooding. A passing police officer told he believed the entire town should have been forced to evacuate. "Everything is going to flood," he said.
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