Hurricane Polo Weakened Before Hitting Baja; Damage Mostly Limited, Local Reports Say

The useful part

Fortunately, it turned out to be much less severe when if finally turned east across Baja as a weakened storm. The next day I woke up, looked out the window at the bay, and was shocked at the waves I saw. There were reports of numerous people drowning, and one large motorboat sank over by Bocas.

How it works

• Cruisers were posting photos and videos of the rain, another case of the storm not hitting as hard as predicted.
• That night, despite the predictions of rain, it was quiet.
• Hurricane Polo was looking terrifying, but the worst possibilities were avoided.
• In past seasons, cooler water had a tendency to help these storms fall apart.
• This storm was forecast to be exceptionally dangerous, coming to shore as a major hurricane, then hitting the mainland at hurricane intensity.

What to take from it

The major cruising areas in Baja that were in danger were Puerto Escondido (Loreto) and Santa Rosalia. My friend Michael, who keeps SV Sea Dream in Puerto Escondido, told me, "All good. After a short nap this morning, I took the dinghy around the moorings … found one sailboat on the rocks in the north window.

Example or evidence

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• I took extra precautions in my slip, and tied it to the building.
• Every cruiser's fear there is a bad storm that knocks over boats on stands, and they fall like dominoes.
• The storm hit Mulegé exceptionally hard and flooding caused a lot of damage.

Details worth keeping

Mexico cruiser and yacht broker Jason Hite gave us an update. One cruiser reported 35-knot max winds in Santa Rosalia. Nothing like Hurricane Kay … Kay made her presence known.

Related coverage

• Insurancejournal: Hurricane Polo closed in on Mexico's Baja California Sur on Monday evening, threatening its Pacific coastline with destructive wind, flash floods and a storm surge before crossing the peninsula and making a...
• Ktla: PUERTO SAN CARLOS, Mexico (AP) — Residents of Mexico's Baja California boarded up homes and workers hauled dirt and rubble to shore up embankments as Hurricane Polo bore down on the peninsula Monday,...
• Wsls: Powerful Hurricane Polo is sending bands of heavy rain across Mexico's Pacific coast, while a separate storm is approaching Hawaii and could bring catastrophic flooding.
• Wcpo: Two storms. Two coastlines. One dangerous weekend ahead. рџЊЂ Hurricane Polo is hammering Mexico while Tropical Storm Nolo closes in on Hawaii's Big Island.