Hurricane Polo approaches Mexico, threatens severe damage

Hurricane Polo, a Category 3 storm, is expected to make landfall in Puerto San Carlos, a small fishing town on Mexico's Pacific coast, on Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicts that the hurricane will bring with it life-threatening winds and flash flooding across the states of Baja California Sur and Sonora. Authorities are warning of severe damage due to heavy rain and the storm's powerful winds.

Puerto San Carlos, home to approximately 6,000 people, is the town most directly in the path of Hurricane Polo. At present, only a few homes and businesses in the area have taken measures to protect themselves from the impending storm. Marta Maldonado, a 62-year-old waitress at a nearby restaurant, expressed hope that the hurricane wouldn't cause too much damage. She also mentioned that residents would likely take precautions in the coming days.

This is not the first time Mexico has been hit by hurricanes, with the country facing such storms annually on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, typically between May and November. This year's storm season has been intensified by the El Niño weather pattern, which raises surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and results in global changes in winds and rainfall, as well as unpredictable weather conditions.