Two powerful hurricanes commanded attention on opposite sides of the Pacific on Sunday, as Mexico's Baja California peninsula prepared for a direct hit from major Hurricane Polo while Hawaii began to exhale after a close brush with Hurricane Nolo.
Polo, a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, was churning northward through the Pacific off Mexico's western coast, packing maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) as of Sunday evening. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, the storm was centered roughly 270 miles (435 kilometers) west of Cabo San Lucas, the resort city at the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, and was advancing north at about 12 mph (19 kph).
Forecasters expected Polo to make landfall on the peninsula on Monday, bringing a dangerous combination of storm surge, damaging winds and torrential rainfall to a region that is no stranger to tropical systems but remains vulnerable to their worst effects. Heavy rain was forecast to begin lashing Baja California overnight Sunday, with the potential for life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides in mountainous terrain.
The peninsula's residents spent the weekend boarding up windows, stocking supplies and reviewing evacuation routes as authorities issued warnings ahead of Polo's arrival. The storm's projected path would carry it across Baja California before it moves over the Mexican mainland, a trajectory that historically has weakened such systems but also spread their moisture far inland.
Beyond Mexico, forecasters warned that Polo's remnants could bring heavy rain and flooding to parts of the U.S. Southwest later in the week. The region, which includes Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Southern California, has experienced deadly flash flooding from decaying tropical systems in past years, and officials there were monitoring the storm's progress closely. Even a weakened Polo could deliver enough moisture to trigger dangerous desert downpours.
Meanwhile, more than 3,000 miles to the west, Hawaii was emerging from its own encounter with a major storm. Hurricane Nolo, which had threatened the islands for days with a zigzagging and unpredictable track, was well southwest of the state on Sunday and moving away from the Big Island as the weekend came to a close.
Nolo's maximum sustained winds had increased to near 105 mph (165 kph) even as the storm pulled away, a reminder that intensity and proximity do not always move in tandem in the tropics. Despite the improving trajectory, a high-wind warning, a wind advisory and a high surf advisory remained in effect for parts of the Big Island through Sunday evening, as lingering swells and gusty conditions continued to pose risks along exposed coastlines.
The storm's passage had already left its mark. Rainwater from Nolo flooded a section of the Mamalahoa Highway near Naalehu on Saturday, prompting local emergency responders to mobilize. Fire Captain Lui Sales of the Hawaii Fire Department was photographed searching for residents who might need assistance as water covered the roadway, an image that captured both the storm's reach and the community-level response it demanded.
Nolo's slow, erratic journey had kept forecasters and residents guessing for much of the week. The storm was expected to avoid making landfall as it strengthened, but meteorologists repeatedly cautioned that dangerous flooding rains would affect the islands regardless of whether the center came ashore. That prediction bore out on the Big Island, where saturated ground and runoff turned roads into rivers in some low-lying areas.
The twin storms illustrate a broader reality of the Pacific hurricane season, in which multiple powerful systems can develop and threaten vastly different populations at the same time. Hawaii, isolated in the central Pacific, has limited options when a storm approaches and relies heavily on early warnings, while Baja California's geography makes it a frequent target for systems curving northward from the tropics off Mexico's coast.
For Baja California, the approaching Polo represents the most immediate danger. Storm surge — the rise in sea level driven by a hurricane's winds — can inundate coastal communities, while heavy rain can trigger landslides in the peninsula's rugged interior. Cabo San Lucas and surrounding resort areas, which draw millions of tourists each year, are particularly exposed to both hazards, and local officials have historically ordered evacuations in low-lying zones ahead of major landfalls.
The hurricane center's advisories emphasized that Polo's impacts would extend well beyond its landfall point. Rainfall from such systems often spreads hundreds of miles from the center, and the storm's moisture plume was expected to feed thunderstorms across northwestern Mexico and eventually the southwestern United States. That downstream threat can persist for days after a storm has been downgraded.
In Hawaii, attention was turning toward recovery and assessment. Authorities had not reported catastrophic damage from Nolo, but the flooding near Naalehu and the sustained wind advisories served as a reminder that even a storm that stays offshore can disrupt daily life on the islands. Residents were urged to remain cautious around swollen streams and coastal waters until conditions fully subsided.
The National Hurricane Center continued to track both systems, issuing regular updates on Polo's position, intensity and projected path while noting Nolo's gradual departure from Hawaiian waters. Forecasters stressed that Polo's strength at landfall would depend on how much it interacts with the Baja peninsula's terrain and the cooler waters it may encounter, factors that can rapidly alter a storm's power.
As Monday approaches, the focus shifts squarely to Baja California, where Polo's arrival will test emergency preparations and infrastructure. For Hawaii, the weekend's close brought a measure of relief after days of uncertainty, though the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons still have weeks to run and the tropics rarely stay quiet for long.
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