Hurricane Polo makes landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast, heads toward Sonora

Hurricane Polo made landfall in Mexico's Baja California Sur as a Category 2 storm early Tuesday and was moving toward Sonora in northwestern Mexico after weakening, according to Mexican authorities and the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Polo made landfall near Las Barrancas, in the Comondu municipality in western Baja California Sur, with maximum sustained winds of about 175 kilometers (110 miles) per hour, according to the NHC.

The storm was moving northeast across the Gulf of California toward southern Sonora, where a second landfall was expected.

The NHC warned of life-threatening flooding and mudslides. It forecast rainfall of 150 to 305 millimeters (6 to 12 inches) in parts of Baja California Sur and 100 to 150 millimeters (4 to 6 inches) in southern and central Sonora, with local totals of up to 200 millimeters (8 inches).

The Baja California Peninsula and parts of northwestern Mexico remained under hurricane and tropical storm warnings as Polo moved toward the mainland.

Baja California Sur authorities activated 169 temporary shelters with capacity for more than 24,000 people across the state's five municipalities, according to local authorities.

About 700 people sought shelter as Polo approached, while authorities reported no deaths in Comondu, a municipality in western Baja California Sur, Loreto, a municipality on the state's eastern coast, and Mulege, in the northeast.

The storm also brought dangerous coastal conditions, with significant storm surge, destructive waves and life-threatening surf expected in affected areas, according to the NHC.

Polo was expected to weaken rapidly after moving inland into northwestern Mexico, but heavy rainfall and flooding remained a threat in Sonora.

Authorities in Sonora suspended classes and nonessential activities in several municipalities as the hurricane approached.

Seperately, Tropical Storm Rachel was moving parallel to Mexico's Pacific coast, threatening coastal areas farther south.

Polo had previously reached a Category 5 strength over the Pacific before weakening as it approached the Baja California Peninsula.