Hurricane Polo, the Polo Storm, is pushing toward the southwestern United States after first landfall in Baja California Sur and a second crossing expected in Sonora, Mexico. The storm was moving northeast at about 17 miles per hour on Tuesday and is expected to near El Paso on Wednesday morning.
More than 30 million people from Arizona to Iowa are in the area where flash flooding could develop, with more than 14 million Americans facing the risk of major flooding. Some locations may get up to two inches of rain per hour, while parts of Texas may see more than seven inches of rain.
Albuquerque and El Paso
Rob Marciano of CBS News said Albuquerque may be “saturating,” and the city is forecast to receive about two inches of rain. Polo is expected to reach El Paso with winds of about 35 miles per hour, a sharp drop from its earlier strength but still enough to keep the flood threat in place.
The National Weather Service Prediction Center said there will be a “significant flash flood threat across the Four Corners Region eastward into the Central Plains.” Flash flood watches are already in effect from Phoenix to Des Moines, covering a broad corridor that will need to watch the rain as it spreads east and north.
Texas Through Thursday
In southern Colorado and other parts of the I-35 corridor, rain is expected to stretch into Wednesday. Parts of Texas, including Dallas, may see rain through Thursday, which gives the storm more time to spread water across areas that are already inside the watch zone.
Polo had already fluctuated between Category 4 and Category 5 strength and underwent rapid intensification early on. The National Hurricane Center called the change “truly remarkable,” after winds jumped from 45 miles per hour on Sept. 21 to 150 miles per hour on Sept. 22 and reached as high as 180 miles per hour over the weekend.
Mexico To The Southwest
That earlier strength matters because the storm is now weakening as it moves inland, not disappearing. The rain shield is still expected to cross Mexico and spill into the southwestern United States, even as the winds drop near El Paso and the broader flood risk spreads across Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Texas.
How much additional flooding damage Polo will cause in each affected state is not yet known, but the practical takeaway is already clear: the highest rain threat is moving into populated corridors, and the worst conditions may arrive before the storm fully falls apart.
