Hurricane Polo Churns Toward Mexico, Threatening Southern California Coast with Dangerous Surf and Flooding
The powerful storm is forecast to bring high swells, rip currents, and coastal flooding to Southern California beaches, even without a direct hit.
Hurricane Polo is rapidly intensifying as it heads toward Mexico, prompting urgent warnings for Southern California to prepare for dangerous surf, powerful rip currents, and coastal flooding. While the storm is not expected to make a direct landfall on the California coast, its immense wave energy is forecast to surge north, impacting beaches across the region.
As of Sunday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that Hurricane Polo was expected to make landfall in Baja California Sur on Monday. The storm has already become one of the most powerful on record in the eastern Pacific.
The most significant impacts for Southern California are anticipated on Monday and Tuesday. Swells are expected to arrive late Sunday, with high tides potentially reaching up to seven feet, increasing the risk of flooding along beaches, walkways, and low-lying coastal areas.
The National Weather Service has warned that Los Angeles and Ventura counties could experience surf ranging from four to seven feet, accompanied by strong rip currents, beach erosion, and possible coastal flooding, particularly as the large swell coincides with high tide. Areas of particular concern include the Long Beach Peninsula, Belmont Shore, Malibu, and Avalon.
These coastal communities are still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Marie, which caused widespread erosion, damaged seawalls, and significant flooding. In Long Beach and Seal Beach, crews have been reinforcing sand berms and preparing for potential flooding. Lifeguard stands in some areas of Seal Beach have been removed due to erosion.
NOAA's Dr. Ariel Cohen emphasized the danger, stating, "The main concern with this particular system is the significant wave energy, very dangerous surf, significant and potentially dangerous to deadly rip currents will also be occurring."
Due to the combination of high tides and dangerous surf, wildlife officials have relocated two newly discovered olive ridley sea turtle nests from Seal Beach and Huntington Beach to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.
Dramatic footage captured by NOAA's Hurricane Hunters shows a WP-3D aircraft navigating through Polo's eyewall, illustrating the storm's ferocity. Polo reached wind speeds of 180 mph with a central pressure of approximately 892 millibars, making it one of the most intense eastern Pacific hurricanes ever recorded.