Hurricane Rains Kill Two Children in Mexico as Polo Nears Baja California
MEXICO · WEATHER
Key Facts
- —The country Mexico has about 130 million people and a Pacific coast lined with resorts, from Puerto Vallarta to Los Cabos, that draw large numbers of American and Canadian visitors.
- —The background Hurricane Polo spent more than 48 hours in total at Category 5, the top of the scale, while it stalled off the south-west coast for most of last week.
- —Why now Its outer rain bands have already caused deaths in Jalisco state, and the storm itself is due to reach Baja California Sur on Monday 28 September.
- —What happened Two children, aged 3 and 12, died when a flash flood swept away their home in Talpa de Allende, Jalisco, over the weekend. Their parents and a 24-year-old tourist are missing.
- —The numbers At 11 p.m. local time on Sunday, Polo was a Category 3 with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h), about 260 miles (420 km) west of Cabo San Lucas.
- —What it means for you Los Cabos and La Paz lie south of the hurricane warnings but face rain, heavy surf and a ban on small-boat trips. Schools are shut across the state; check flights directly with your airline.
- —Still open The fate of the three missing people, how strong Polo is when it crosses the peninsula, and the damage on the mainland in Sonora on Tuesday.
Hurricane Polo’s rains have killed two children in Mexico before the storm has reached land. They died in the western state of Jalisco after its outer rain bands swept their family’s house into a stream.
The storm itself is now closing on Baja California Sur, the southern half of the long peninsula below California. Mexico’s weather service expects it to come ashore late on Monday 28 September, well north of the resorts of Los Cabos.
Two children dead in Jalisco
The deaths happened in La Cuesta, a small community in the municipality of Talpa de Allende. Talpa is a mountain pilgrimage town in Jalisco, inland from the beach resort of Puerto Vallarta.
A stream rose suddenly overnight from Saturday into Sunday and swept away a house with a family of four inside.
On Sunday, Jalisco’s state Civil Protection and Fire Unit said the two children had been found dead. They were aged 3 and 12, and lay about 700 metres from the house.
“The heavy rains from Hurricane Polo unfortunately caused a house, with four members of a family inside, to be swept down the stream,” said Pablo Lemus, Jalisco’s governor. Two state helicopters have joined rescue teams searching downstream for the parents.
In Puerto Vallarta, a 24-year-old woman from San Luis Potosí state has been missing since Saturday evening. A rip current pulled her away in front of a beachfront hotel; a companion caught with her reached the shore.
The news agency EFE reported that the beach was flying a red flag, which bans swimming.
The same storms flooded Puerto Vallarta streets to about half a metre. They also caused landslides on the highway from Talpa to Tomatlán.
Where Polo is heading
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) tracks storms in this part of the Pacific.
At 11 p.m. local time on Sunday, the NHC placed Polo about 260 miles (420 km) west of Cabo San Lucas. It was moving north at 10 mph (17 km/h), with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h).
That makes it a Category 3, the lowest “major” rating on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. It is well below the Category 5 peak Polo held last week, but still capable of tearing roofs off buildings.
The NHC expects a turn to the north-east on Monday, with Polo at or near major-hurricane strength when it reaches the peninsula. It should then cross the Gulf of California and reach Sonora state, on the mainland, late on Monday or early on Tuesday.
Mexico’s own National Meteorological Service (SMN), part of the federal water commission Conagua, is slightly less severe. Its head, Fabián Vázquez Romaña, said on Saturday that Polo should make landfall as a Category 2 on Monday evening.
The SMN’s Sunday forecast puts landfall at about 6 p.m., roughly 70 km south-south-west of the town of Mulegé. That part of central Baja California Sur is sparsely populated and lies roughly 400 km north-west of Los Cabos.
Rain is the main danger
The NHC forecasts 4 to 8 inches (100 to 200 mm) of rain in parts of Baja California Sur. Some spots could see 12 inches (300 mm).
For comparison, La Paz, the state capital, receives about 170 mm in an average year.
The SMN warned of a storm surge of 1 to 1.5 metres.
It forecast waves of up to 10 metres near Mulegé and Puerto San Carlos. Both agencies call flash floods and mudslides the chief threat, especially in steep terrain.
Mexico’s Civil Protection agency said 169 temporary shelters were ready to open in Baja California Sur if needed. It listed 144 more in Sonora, 126 in Sinaloa and 115 in Chihuahua.
What travellers to Los Cabos should know
Hurricane warnings cover the peninsula’s west coast from Punta Abreojos to Santa Fe, and its east coast from Loreto to Santa Rosalía. Los Cabos and La Paz are outside both warning zones.
Mexico’s federal port authority suspended small-boat traffic at Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo on Friday.
Baja California Sur and Sonora have suspended classes at all levels from Monday.
The Rio Times found no closure announced at Los Cabos or La Paz airports by early Monday. Delays are likely.
Visitors should confirm flights directly with their airline, follow the Los Cabos Civil Protection office, and stay off beaches flying red flags. The full warning map is set out in Polo’s approach to Baja California Sur.
What comes next
Tropical-storm conditions are expected to begin on Monday morning in the southern part of the warning zone. Hurricane conditions should follow on the west coast by late afternoon, then spread east across the peninsula.
On Sunday night Mexico extended its hurricane warning on the Sonora coast, which now runs from Bahía Kino to Huatabampito.
A separate system, Tropical Storm Rachel, formed on Sunday about 485 km south of Acapulco. The SMN said it raises the likelihood of very heavy rain in Guerrero and Oaxaca states.
The deaths in Jalisco do not mean Polo struck there; its centre never came ashore on that coast. Nor do the forecasts point to a direct hit on Los Cabos.
In 2014, Hurricane Odile struck Cabo San Lucas as a Category 3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did Hurricane Polo kill people in Mexico?
Two children, aged 3 and 12, died in La Cuesta, in the Talpa de Allende municipality of Jalisco state, when a flash flood swept away their home. Their parents and a 24-year-old tourist in Puerto Vallarta are missing.
Will Hurricane Polo hit Los Cabos?
Forecasts put landfall on Monday 28 September in central Baja California Sur, south-west of the town of Mulegé, roughly 400 km north-west of Los Cabos. Los Cabos is outside the hurricane warning zone but can expect rain, heavy surf and closed ports.
How strong is Hurricane Polo now?
On Sunday night it was a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). The US National Hurricane Center expects it near that strength at landfall; Mexico’s weather service expects a Category 2.
Are flights to Los Cabos cancelled?
No airport closure had been announced by early Monday, but delays are likely as the storm passes. Travellers should check their flight status directly with their airline before leaving for the airport.
Sources: US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Polo Intermediate Advisory 30A, 11 p.m. MST 27 September 2026, EFE via ABC Noticias, two children dead and three missing in Jalisco, 27 September 2026, Expreso, Jalisco Civil Protection figures, 27 September 2026, Excélsior, SMN and Civil Protection press conference, 26 September 2026, TV Azteca, SMN landfall forecast, 27 September 2026, El Informador, SMN landfall forecast, 27 September 2026, Infobae, school closures in Baja California Sur and Sonora, 28 September 2026, Gringo Gazette, Los Cabos port closure, 25 September 2026, Latinus, SMN on Tropical Storm Rachel, 27 September 2026, Climates to Travel, La Paz climate averages, US National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report on Hurricane Odile (2014). All retrieved 28 September 2026.
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