Hurricane Polo Batters Mexico, Then Sends Floods Toward the US Southwest

Hurricane Polo struck Mexico’s north-west on Tuesday, 29 September. Its remnants are now sending heavy rain toward the US Southwest. Forecasters warn of flash floods across a wide area.

The storm first hit near Las Barrancas in Baja California Sur as a Category 2 hurricane. Winds reached about 110 mph. It crossed the Gulf of California and made a second landfall near Guaymas in Sonora as a Category 1 storm.

Hurricane Polo damage in Mexico

Authorities in Baja California Sur reported flooded roads, fallen trees and landslides between Ciudad Insurgentes and Loreto. About 700 people sheltered overnight. Most went home on Tuesday morning. Civil protection officials said they had no reports of deaths or serious injuries in the state.

In Sonora, standing water covered parts of central Guaymas. Flooding reached the seafront and the municipal palace area. The Rio Times also reported four deaths in Talpa de Allende, Jalisco, where a swollen stream swept away a home. That report was not confirmed in other sources reviewed.

Polo weakened to a tropical storm over the Sierra Madre. It was expected to turn post-tropical early on Wednesday.

Floods across the border

The threat has moved north. Flood watches covered nearly the whole US Southwest. Phoenix saw up to two inches of rain early Tuesday. In Arizona, a truck was swept away near New River, though the driver escaped.

North-central New Mexico, including Albuquerque and Santa Fe, could see three to four inches through Wednesday. Flash-flood risks extend to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa through Thursday. Some areas may get up to five inches.

Desert ground absorbs water poorly. Dry washes can fill within minutes. Emergency officials repeat one rule: never drive through flooded roads.

We first reported the threat when Polo approached Mexico’s Pacific coast. The storm has now delivered on most of those warnings, though the early damage reports are milder than feared in Baja California Sur.

Recovery will depend on the next 48 hours. Rain totals in the mountains remain unmeasured. Rivers may rise after the storm itself has passed.

Fact basis: PBS NewsHour and Rio Times reports of 29–30 September 2026, and US flood watches as reported. The Jalisco deaths are from a single source. Read the PBS NewsHour report.