A powerful hurricane is making its way toward Mexico, while Southern California is getting ready for hazardous surf conditions, intense rip currents, and potential coastal flooding. The massive swells from the storm are predicted to hit beaches throughout the area.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hurricane Polo is expected to touch down in Baja California Sur on Monday, having intensified into one of the most formidable storms ever recorded in the eastern Pacific.
Even though Polo isn’t likely to strike Southern California directly, its substantial wave energy is on track to push northward, with the most severe effects anticipated for Monday and Tuesday.
Swells are set to start arriving late on Sunday, with high tides possibly reaching around 7 feet, increasing the risk of flooding along shorelines, walkways, and low-lying areas.
The National Weather Service has alerted that Los Angeles and Ventura counties could experience surf heights between four to seven feet, along with strong rip currents, beach erosion, and likely coastal flooding coinciding with the arrival of the large swells during high tide.
Locations that could be especially affected include Long Beach Peninsula, Belmont Shore, Malibu, and Avalon, but hazardous conditions might extend along a larger stretch of the Southern California coastline.
Coastal regions are still reeling from the impacts of Hurricane Marie earlier this month, which caused significant erosion and damage to infrastructure due to powerful swells and king tides. Long Beach, Malibu, and other nearby communities faced flooding, damaged seawalls, and considerable beach erosion, leaving a number of areas vulnerable as they continue to address the aftermath of that storm.
In Long Beach and Seal Beach, crews have been bolstering sand berms and preparing for possible flooding. In Seal Beach, some lifeguard stands were removed as erosion left only minimal safe space for them in certain spots.
Officials in Long Beach are also reinforcing the sand berm meant to protect homes along the peninsula and gearing up with sandbags and pumps ahead of the anticipated swells.
Dr. Ariel Cohen from NOAA emphasized that this system poses serious threats, with dangerous surf and potentially deadly rip currents expected to occur.
In a concerning move, wildlife officials relocated two newly discovered olive ridley sea turtle nests from Seal Beach and Huntington Beach to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, due to the combination of high tides and hazardous surf.
Meanwhile, dramatic footage from inside Hurricane Polo illustrates just how fierce the storm had become. Video provided by NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters reveals a WP-3D aircraft diving directly through Polo’s chaotic eyewall.
The cockpit footage shows the aircraft being violently shaken and tossed around as the crew approaches the eye of the hurricane, eventually leading to a contrasting moment of eerie calm.
Another shot from the flight captures blue skies encircled by towering clouds as the aircraft reaches the center of the storm.
Polo previously reached astonishing speeds of 180 mph, with a central pressure of about 892 millibars, marking it among the most intense hurricanes recorded in the eastern Pacific.
