Hurricane Polo sends heavy rain into Mexico’s coast as Tropical Storm Nolo nears Hawaii

Waves crash along the coast in Acapulco, Mexico, on Wednesday. Javier Verdin/Reuters

Powerful Hurricane Polo sent bands of heavy rain across Mexico’s Pacific coast Thursday as a growing Tropical Storm Nolo approached Hawaii with the potential for catastrophic flooding.

Polo was forecast to maintain Category 5 strength as it skirts Mexico’s coast over the next few days. Rain and strong winds had already started to pummel the coast, with waves crashing onto the normally pristine beaches.

While the eye and the strongest winds were expected to remain at sea, the heavy rains could cause life-threatening flooding and landslides, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Farther west in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Nolo was churning about 475 kilometres south of South Point, Hawaii. It was forecast to become a hurricane by Thursday night and was expected to approach the Big Island as early as Friday. A hurricane watch was issued for Hawaii County.

Gov. Josh Green’s office said public schools and state and county offices on the Big Island will close Thursday and Friday, while Maui County will shutter them on Friday ahead of the threat of heavy rain, winds and flooding. Forecasters said the storm could drop up to 51 centimetres of rain.

This photo provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Polo strengthening in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico on Tuesday. Uncredited/The Associated Press

Concepción López Villegas was busily bolstering her seaside restaurant in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán state, against the expected onslaught of rain. Strong waves were already hitting some beaches and López Villegas said she feared the storm could destroy the small business she worked decades to build.

“We’re worried and trying to protect our businesses,” López Villegas said. “And of course, we’re sad because it’s our heritage, our legacy that from one moment to another could be destroyed.”

Guerrero state was particularly at risk of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, the hurricane centre said.

Polo was swirling about 209 kilometres south-southwest of Zihuatanejo early Thursday and was moving northwest at 11 kph. A turn west-northwest was forecast for later in the day, taking it further out to sea, before turning northwest Saturday.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 257 kph, and was expected to remain a major hurricane for the next few days. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 65 kilometres from the eye and tropical-storm-force winds extended up to 185 kilometres.

The region most under threat from Polo is rural and mountainous, scattered with a few small tourist towns and ports. Much of the area is marked by poverty and residents routinely complain authorities abandon them to fend for themselves during natural disasters.

Mexico’s government has called for evacuations in some areas and set up shelters for those affected. Thousands of military and Red Cross personnel have been deployed to the region as a preventive measure.

Mexico closed several Pacific ports to navigation on Sept. 23 as Hurricane Polo, a powerful Category 4 storm, churned off the country's southwestern coast, threatening heavy rain, flooding and dangerous sea conditions despite forecasts that it will remain offshore.

The National Weather Service said Tropical Storm Nolo would likely strengthen before closing in on the Big Island on Friday or Saturday.

The storm has the potential to be a major hurricane, John Bravender, a weather service warning co-ordination meteorologist, said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

While high winds are expected, Bravender said the main concern is the possibility of flash flooding. He said 50 to 76 centimetres of rain could fall through Saturday on southeastern parts of the Big Island, the same region hit hard in August by Hurricane Lala.

“That by itself could cause catastrophic flooding, but when you put that on top of grounds that we’ve been raining off and on for the last couple of months … that rain could cause even more damage,” Bravender said.

He urged preparation across all Hawaii islands in case the storm’s trajectory shifts.

“You need to take action now,” said Bravender. “Today is really the last dry day you have to get ready.”

Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda told residents in a video message on social media that they should start preparing now for the storm. He urged people to put together an emergency kit with food, water and medications, trim vegetation and clear drains.

“This is a very serious situation,” he said. “We do believe that the rain is going to come. It’s coming already.”

The governor issued an emergency proclamation Tuesday and more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members have been activated, said Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, adjutant general of the state’s Department of Defense.

Kauai’s electric co-operative urged residents to prepare for “the possibility of prolonged power outages,” and to store nonperishable food and potable water.

Over 100 Kauai households remain without power from Hurricane Lowell, which passed west of the island on Sept. 7.

Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews would return to at-risk areas in preparation for the coming storm.

Tropical Storm Fay re-formed early Thursday in the northern Atlantic Ocean with maximum sustained winds near 65 kph, the U.S. hurricane centre said. It was 1,505 kilometres west-southwest of the Azores, moving west-southwest at 15 kph.

In the Pacific, Hurricane Odalys had winds of 137 kph and was centred about 1,940 kilometres west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.