Hurricane Nolo still threatens Hawaii as Mexico's Baja braces for major Hurricane Polo

HILO, Hawaii — Hurricane Nolo was moving away from the Hawaiian Islands on Sunday, but the threat of heavy rain, flash flooding and strong winds persisted in areas still recovering from previous storms.

Mexico's Baja Peninsula, meanwhile, was bracing for the arrival of major Hurricane Polo on Monday after it lashed parts of the country's southwest coast with rain and strong winds. Polo remained a dangerous Category 3 storm with top sustained winds of 125 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday afternoon.

Nolo was well southwest of Hawaii and moving away from the Big Island. 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.

The storm was expected to approach the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a national conservation area, early this week.

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 of rain. Heavy rain was also expected on the other islands.

"Don't venture out if you don't have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down," said Michael Brennan, director of the hurricane center.

More than 120 National Guard members were activated on the island, 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.

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 — a local bakery, fire station and hardware store wiped out.

"Everyone has been very much affected by this," McKibbin said.

The Pacific has been unusually active this season, 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.

Polo was moving to the north-northwest at 12 mph about 285 miles west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula's southern tip, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday afternoon.

Mexico's National Meteorological Service, or SMN, said in a social media post that Polo was expected to make a Baja landfall on Monday.

The Mexican navy said in a statement that it had gathered personnel and humanitarian aid in the ports of Guaymas and Mazatlan, on Mexico's Pacific Coast, and has deployed three vessels that could ship aid to coastal communities isolated by the hurricane.

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 the closest medical facility, about 80 minutes away in Ciudad Constitución.

"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 the Mexican Army arrived in San Juanico to prepare a shelter and to provide support for possible emergencies. An electrical crew was also there to prepare for Polo's arrival.

Also Sunday, Tropical Storm Rachel formed well off Mexico's southwest coast, the Miami-based U.S. hurricane center said. It added that Rachel had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was located about 300 miles south of Acapulco, Mexico. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.

Contributing: Christopher Weber, Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Hannah Schoenbaum

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