Hurricane Polo closed in on Mexico's Baja California Sur on Monday evening, threatening its Pacific coastline with destructive wind, flash floods and a storm surge before crossing the peninsula and making a second landfall on the mainland.
At 5 p.m. local time (0000 GMT), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Polo was set to initially come ashore as a Category 3 hurricane, though the likely strike zone is an area far less populated than the Los Cabos resort corridor at the southern tip.
The NHC forecast the storm to then cross the Gulf of California and hit southern Sonora state early on Tuesday still at hurricane strength, before weakening rapidly inland.
By Monday afternoon, Polo was about 125 kilometres west-southwest of Cabo San Lazaro with maximum sustained winds of about 185 kph and stronger gusts, according to the NHC.
The storm was forecast to bring 15 to 30 centimetres of rain across Baja California Sur, increasing the risk of dangerous flooding and mudslides.
Authorities restricted access to beaches and suspended maritime activities in high-risk areas. Temporary shelters were also opened in five municipalities, while 78 people had been evacuated to a shelter in Ciudad Constitución by Monday morning.
Residents in coastal towns including Loreto and Ciudad Constitución boarded up businesses ahead of the storm.
Mexico's civil protection authorities urged residents to remain calm and stay indoors, while warning that power and internet services could be disrupted for several hours.
Officials advised people living in vulnerable areas to move to temporary shelters if their homes were at risk.
Polo has already brought heavy rain, strong winds and destructive waves along Mexico's Pacific coast, prompting evacuations, port closures and school cancellations.
The storm was expected to weaken after crossing the Baja California peninsula, but forecasters warned it could make a second landfall in mainland Mexico.
The NHC said Polo could reach southern Sonora late Monday or early Tuesday, bringing another 10 to 15 centimetres of rain, with isolated totals of up to 20 centimetres.
Storm surge and large, destructive waves were also expected along parts of both the Baja California peninsula and mainland Pacific coast.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Rachel was located about 362 kilometres (225 miles) from Acapulco and moving west-northwest at around 8 mph. The NHC forecast that Rachel could strengthen into a hurricane by midweek while remaining offshore and moving parallel to Mexico's southwestern coast.
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