What happened
Hurricane Polo is threatening to bring heavy rain and flash flooding to five US states after making landfall in Mexico. The Category 3 hurricane had sustained winds of 115 mph as it approached Mexico's Baja California Peninsula.
The National Weather Service has issued flood alerts across Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah, warning of repeated thunderstorms that could produce up to 4 inches of rain in some areas. This could result in instances of flash flooding, particularly in areas where the ground is already saturated from previous storms.
Some areas, such as Albuquerque, Los Alamos, and Santa Fe in New Mexico, could receive up to 3 inches of rain, while isolated areas around El Paso, Texas, could see totals reach 4 inches. Before reaching the US, Polo is expected to bring dangerous conditions to Baja California Sur and parts of Sonora, including damaging winds, flooding, mudslides, and power outages.
A separate storm moving across the Rockies and Great Basin is expected to pull Polo's remaining moisture northward, potentially spreading showers and thunderstorms into the Plains, Midwest, and Great Lakes region. While the rain could provide some relief to drought-stricken communities, dangerous flash flooding remains possible.
