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

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 of the island chain still recovering from previous storms.Nolo was about 365 miles (585km) south-south-west of Honolulu and moving away from the Big Island at about 12mph (19kph). But the Hawaii county civil defense agency said 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 rose to 115mph (165kph).Nolo was expected to strengthen further and turn toward the north-west by Sunday night, though the US National Hurricane Center said the storm’s center would remain well south and south-west of the Hawaiian Islands. The storm was expected to approach the Papahānaumokuākea 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 20in (50cm ) of rain. Heavy rain also was 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 National Hurricane Center.Heavy rain fell across the southern part of the Big Island on Saturday afternoon, prompting partial closures of one of the main highways linking Kailua-Kona in the west to Hilo in the east.Members of the Hawaii army national guard help a resident leave his home as rainwater from nearby Hurricane Nolo floods a section of Mamalahoa highway on Saturday. Photograph: Gregory Bull/APNear Naalehu, at the island’s southern point, National Guard members were seen guiding a man driving through flooded streets as he tried to leave his home during a downpour. More than 120 guard members were activated on the island, part of roughly 400 statewide after the governor issued an emergency proclamation.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.About a dozen people were in the water Saturday morning at Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo on the Big Island, despite signs saying the strand was closed. Andrea Gill was out for her regular swim before heading back home to hunker down with family.Shop owners boarded up businesses, and events were canceled. Gill said storms are common, but hurricanes are rare. She was holding out hope that the islands might not get the full impact.“We’re used to lots of rain. We’re not used to wind. So it’s always a blessing when we don’t get the wind from the hurricane,” Gill said.Donald Trump recently approved an emergency declaration, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) to coordinate assistance and provide funding support.Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell returned to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in response to Nolo.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.Yellow tapes on Medano Beach on Sunday as Hurricane Polo approaches Baja California Sur, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Photograph: Raquel Cunha/ReutersMeanwhile, parts of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula awaited the arrival of another major hurricane with a similar name, Polo, as it edged closer after lashing other parts of the country’s southwest coast with rain and strong winds.Hurricane Polo remained a dangerous category 3 hurricane with top sustained winds of 125mph (205kph) and was moving to the north-north-west at 12mph (19kph) about 275 miles (445km) south-south-west of Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula’s southern tip, US hurricane forecasters said Sunday afternoon. It was moving to the north at 12mph (19kph).Mexico’s National Meteorological Service, or SMN, said in a post on the social media platform X that Polo was expected to make a Baja landfall on Monday.Mexico’s government issued a hurricane warning along the coast of mainland Mexico from Huatabampito to Guaymas.The Mexican navy said in a statement that it has 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 Constitucion.“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 on Sunday, tropical storm Rachel formed well off Mexico’s south-west coast, the Miami-based US hurricane center said. It added that Rachel had maximum sustained winds of 40mph (65kph) and was located about 300 miles (485km ) south of Acapulco, Mexico. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.