Tropical Storm Polo To Bring ‘Life-Threatening’ Conditions To Baja California

storm-1 — Residents stand near the beach as Tropical Storm Polo hits Coyuca de Benítez, on the outskirts of Acapulco, Mexico, Sept. 17, 2014. Polo is forecast to reach Baja California by Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, less than a week after a severe storm battered the Baja California peninsula. Reuters

Less than a week after Hurricane Odile steamrolled Baja California, stranding tens of thousands of tourists and leaving thousands of local residents homeless, the southern peninsula is under storm watch again as Tropical Storm Polo rolls north along Mexico’s west coast. The advisory affects the southern tip of the peninsula, including the popular resort towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo , which bore the brunt of Hurricane Odile, and on up to La Paz, the National Weather Service said in a statement Friday. Polo is forecast to pass south of Baja California Saturday.

Tropical Storm Polo has maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kmh) and is moving north-northwest at 7 mph, according to the weather agency. Although the center of the storm will likely remain offshore, it's expected to bring “life-threatening” surf and rip currents to the coasts of southwestern Mexico and the Baja peninsula. Heavy downpours also pose a threat to the region.

storm-2 — Fishermen struggle to remove a banner due to heavy winds caused by Tropical Storm Polo in Acapulco, Mexico, Sept. 16, 2014. Reuters

Polo is the 16th storm of an abnormally active eastern Pacific hurricane season, according to Bloomberg. The storm formed Tuesday several hundred miles south-southeast of Acapulco. It reached hurricane conditions on Wednesday before weakening on Friday, the Florida-based National Hurricane Center said. A storm reaches hurricane status when its winds top 74 mph.

polo-2 — The probability of tropical storm-force winds for Tropical Storm Polo. National Hurricane Center/NWS

Polo damaged some low-lying coastal communities on the outskirts of Acapulco Wednesday. High waves in Coyuca de Benítez dragged some residents’ beach stalls into the sea and fishermen were forced to pull their boats to shore.

storm-4 — Residents recover pieces of wood after high waves dragged their beach stalls into the sea in Coyuca de Benítez, on the outskirts of Acapulco, Sept. 17, 2014. Reuters

Southern Baja California has had little time to recover from Hurricane Odile, which wreaked havoc on the region Monday. Odile littered many of the roads connecting the southern region to the north part of the peninsula with debris, forcing the Mexican military to fly hundreds of tourists out of the area to Tijuana and Mazatlán. Looters continued to raid supermarkets, pharmacies and electronic shops in the days after the storm. Some 135 people were injured in the hurricane.