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US ・ Environment/Disaster

Polo's remnants flood U.S. Southwest; New Mexico towns evacuate over failing dam

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Polo's remnants battered the U.S. Southwest after the hurricane struck Baja California Sur; New Mexico towns evacuated over a failing dam as 60+ flash floods were reported.

Why it matters

Polo struck Mexico's Baja California Sur as a hurricane with 110 mph winds, then weakened as it crossed into the southwestern United States. The leftover moisture is colliding with already saturated ground: parts of New Mexico are evacuating over a dam feared to be failing, and flood watches cover a wide swath of the Southwest.

Full report

According to the Associated Press, Polo made landfall Tuesday morning in Baja California Sur with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (177 kph). It then crossed the Gulf of California, weakened to a tropical storm, and dissipated Tuesday night over northwestern Mexico — but its remnants kept moving northeast into the U.S.

By Tuesday evening, the New Mexico Department of Transportation reported flooded roads and debris on highways across the state, while parts of Arizona became especially drenched, leading to several water rescues. Storms that rolled through overnight Monday had already saturated the ground, worsening the flooding.

The heaviest threat centered on the McLeod Dam in Doña Ana County in southern New Mexico, which was on the brink of failing. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency, and residents of Rincon, Salem, Garfield, Hatch and Placitas were told to evacuate to higher ground. More than 60 flash floods were reported across the Southwest from Monday to Tuesday night, with rainfall rates as high as 4 inches per hour in some areas, according to CBS News.

The National Weather Service says the flood risk will shift into the central U.S. later in the week, with heavy rain hitting Texas and Oklahoma beginning Tuesday night. More than 30 million people from Arizona to Iowa could be at risk for flash floods.

Source: Associated Press via NPR; CBS News.

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