Hurricane Polo Weakens to Category 3 as Baja California Braces for Monday Landfall

Hurricane Polo has weakened to a Category 3 storm and is bearing down on Mexico's Pacific coast, with forecasters expecting it to make landfall on Baja California Sur on Monday night.

The storm was about 200 miles off the Baja California coast as of 11 a.m. EDT on Sunday, according to the US National Hurricane Center. It was moving north-northwest at 12 mph with sustained winds of 125 mph.

Forecasters expect Polo to gradually lose strength before it reaches land, arriving as a Category 1 hurricane. Even so, it could still topple trees and power lines and cause structural damage, private forecaster AccuWeather said.

Landfall is expected to bring sustained winds of 60 to 80 mph and heavy rain to the popular tourist destination.

Authorities have already ordered evacuations, closed ports and cancelled schools along Mexico's Pacific coast. In the resort city of San Jose del Cabo, access to beaches was restricted as the storm whipped up large waves and dangerous surf.

Polo is forecast to dump 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain across Baja California, raising the risk of life-threatening flooding and mudslides. The storm is then expected to cross the Gulf of California and move into the northern states of Sonora and Chihuahua.