Two hurricanes swirled in the Pacific on Thursday as residents in both regions prepared for worst-case scenarios, with forecasters warning that both storms could bring catastrophic flooding. Hurricane Polo was drenching Mexico’s west coast from offshore, while Hurricane Nolo neared Hawaii.
On Thursday evening, Nolo grew into a hurricane over the Pacific Ocean and was expected to keep getting stronger while turning toward the Big Island, according to the National Hurricane Center. Weather experts warned that the Big Island could receive rainfall totals of 15 to 30 inches (38 to 76 centimeters), with even higher amounts possible by Saturday. The hurricane center added that the island of Maui also could face life-threatening floods.
Polo’s Path Along Mexico’s Coast
The storm has swung back and forth between Category 4 and Category 5, both reaching major-hurricane power. Forecasters expect it to rise again to Category 5 on Friday before easing Friday night and Saturday, according to the hurricane center.
Polo was expected to drift farther from Mexico’s coast Thursday night and Friday before turning back toward land to the north on Saturday.
Guerrero and Michoacán, two neighboring states in southwest Mexico, face the gravest danger from the approaching storm. The region is defined by a lengthy coastline dotted with small ports, tourist towns and fishing villages. Poverty marks much of the area, and locals regularly express frustration that they are left to fend for themselves when disaster strikes.
Across Mexico’s coast, officials have posted 15,000 security personnel and closed schools to keep people safe. Shelters are opening for those who need them, while coastal residents leave the beaches and try to save their stores from being carried off by the storm. Those living in places at risk of harm are being moved, although the number involved has not yet been given.
Nino’s History of Destruction in Hawaii
This year, Hawaii has faced a series of disasters: major flooding in the spring, an earthquake, and two hurricanes since mid-August. The islands were already soaked from earlier storms when the new threat arrived, making it harder to manage.
John Bravender of the National Weather Service in Honolulu said “In my 20 years of experience here, I’ve never seen three hurricane watches for the islands in the same year.” During a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Bravender said the storm could become a major hurricane. The Big Island is expected to take the worst of Nolo’s blow, though its full course still hangs in doubt.
The wind threat exists, yet the real worry centers on flash flooding. Bravender said 20 to 30 inches of rain could come down through Saturday across the southeastern parts of the Big Island, an area that was struck hard by Hurricane Lala in August.
“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.
Across all the islands of Hawaii, he urged that preparations be made, just in case the storm’s path should change.
“You need to take action now,” Bravender said. “Today is really the last dry day you have to get ready.”
In a social media video message, Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda told residents to get ready for the storm right away. He asked people to build an emergency kit stocked with food, water and medications, cut back overgrown plants and clean out drains.
“This is a very serious situation,” he said. “We do believe that the rain is going to come. It’s coming already.”
Tuesday saw the governor issue an emergency proclamation, and Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, adjutant general of the state’s Department of Defense, said more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members have been activated since then.
The electric cooperative serving Kauai asked its customers to get ready for “the possibility of prolonged power outages,” and to set aside food that will not spoil and drinking water. More than 100 homes across the island still lack electricity after Hurricane Lowell moved past to the west on Sept. 7.
The state’s main electric company, Hawaiian Electric, announced that its workers will go back to places at risk when the storm arrives.
| Storm | Target | Forecast Rainfall | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polo | Mexico’s west coast | Up to 30 inches in some areas | Regaining Category 5 status Friday |
| Nolo | Hawaii’s Big Island and Maui | 15 to 30 inches on Big Island | Expected to strengthen and approach Friday or Saturday |
What Past Hurricanes Have Cost
Residents in Acapulco are still recovering from Hurricane Otis in 2023, which unexpectedly plunged the city into turmoil for weeks.
“So many people said it wouldn’t happen and then it did. After that, you’re left on edge,” said Gonzalo Ramírez, a bartender in the city.
Thursday saw seawater sweep through homes in Lázaro Cárdenas, a port city in Michoacán that faced high surf, leaving wooden planks and furniture scattered across the streets. Government workers joined locals to clear away piles of wooden planks from wrecked ramadas and shovel off the thick mud covering much of the town.
Contreras said that the walls and roof of her restaurant were badly damaged by waves measuring 15 feet, or 4.5 meters. She was among those picking through the ruined dwelling while officers and family assisted, and she expressed worry over how she would manage to get back on her feet financially.
“This is huge because we have no other source of income. Now we’re just surviving,” Contreras said.
According to the National Weather Service, Tropical Storm Nolo is expected to gain strength before it reaches the Big Island, with the arrival expected either Friday or Saturday.
The Big Picture
El Niño is behind a round of severe storms worldwide, causing drought in some places and flooding in others. The weather pattern typically cuts down the Atlantic hurricane season, even as it stokes tropical cyclone action in the Pacific through warm, moist air and low wind shear.
Hurricane Odalys sat well out at sea in the Pacific, some 1,110 miles (about 1,785 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.
Early Thursday, the U.S. hurricane center reported that Tropical Storm Fay had re-formed in the northern Atlantic Ocean.
A pair of hurricanes is headed toward opposite coasts, and both places are getting ready for a serious situation.
Source material: “Powerful Hurricane Polo drenches Mexico's coast from offshore as Nolo nears Hawaii,” ABC7 Los Angeles.
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