HILO, Hawaii -- HILO, Hawaii (AP) — Hurricane Nolo edged further away from the Hawaiian Islands on Sunday as major Hurricane Polo bore down on Mexico's Baja California peninsula with a threat of storm surge, high winds and heavy rains.
Nolo was well southwest of Hawaii and moving away from the Big Island as the weekend drew to a close. A high-wind warning, wind advisory and high surf advisory remained in effect for parts of the island through Sunday evening as Nolo’s maximum sustained winds increased to near 105 mph (165 kph).
Meanwhile, residents of Mexico's Baja California braced for the expected arrival Monday of Category 3 Polo, which had top sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) Sunday evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Heavy rainfall from Polo would begin impacting the peninsula overnight and could produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides.
Forecasters said Polo would hit the Mexican mainland after crossing Baja California and could bring heavy rain and flooding to parts of the U.S. Southwest later in the week. Polo was moving to the north at 12 mph (19 kph) about 270 miles (435 kilometers) west of Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula’s southern tip, the hurricane center said.
Forecasters said Nolo's outer bands could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with parts of the Big Island possibly getting up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain. Heavy rain also was expected on the other islands.
More than 120 National Guard members were activated, part of roughly 400 statewide after the governor issued an emergency proclamation. President Donald Trump recently approved an emergency declaration, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance and provide funding support.
Hawaii residents are still recovering from Hurricane Lala, which produced heavy rain and winds strong enough to sweep about 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island.
In Naalehu, at the island’s southern point, Peggy McKibbin surveyed silt-covered roads from her four-wheeler Sunday and pointed out the lingering damage from Lala, which wiped out a local bakery, a fire station and a hardware store.
“Everyone has been very much affected by this,” McKibbin said.
The Pacific has been unusually active, according to National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec, with storm activity running above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season. He said that pattern is consistent with El Niño years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes.
With Polo approaching Mexico, the Mexican navy said it had gathered personnel and humanitarian aid in the ports of Guaymas and Mazatlan, on the country's Pacific Coast, and deployed three vessels that could ship aid to coastal communities isolated by the storm.
One of the towns in the hurricane's projected path is San Juanico, a small fishing community on Baja’s Pacific coast. The town has only had full-time electricity for a few years, and still experiences frequent outages. There is concern that washed-out roads could block access to medical facilities.
“Our people are concerned about this event,” said Gloriely Robles Meza, a manager at a small hotel. “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”
Robles Meza said Sunday that army soldiers arrived in San Juanico to prepare a shelter and provide support for possible emergencies.
Also Sunday, Tropical Storm Rachel formed well off Mexico's southwest coast. The hurricane center said Rachel had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was located about 300 miles (485 kilometers) south of Acapulco. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
