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NASA reported on Sept. 30 that the northeastern and central Pacific had recorded 20 named storms by Sept. 28, above the 1991–2020 average of 13.5 by that date. Hurricanes Polo and Nolo brought damaging weather to Mexico and Hawaii, while forecasters warned that moisture from Polo and former Hurricane Odalys could raise flood risks in the southwestern United States and southern Plains.
Hurricanes Polo and Nolo brought heavy rain, flooding and other hazardous conditions to Mexico and Hawaii as the northeastern and central Pacific’s 2026 storm season remained active, NASA reported Sept. 30. By Sept. 28, the region had recorded 20 named storms, compared with an average of 13.5 by that date during 1991–2020; forecasters also warned that Polo’s remnants could bring heavy rain and flood risks into parts of the southwestern United States and southern Plains.
Polo made landfall in Baja California Sur around 11 p.m. local time Sept. 28, according to NASA’s account of National Hurricane Center information. The hurricane had reached Category 5 strength over the ocean on Sept. 22 after what NASA described as extreme rapid intensification. It weakened as it neared land and likely came ashore as a Category 2 storm, the National Hurricane Center said. After crossing the peninsula and the Gulf of California, the weakened system made a second landfall near Guaymas around midday Sept. 29.
The National Hurricane Center warned of dangerous winds, storm surge and heavy rain in parts of Baja California Sur and Sonora, with rainfall capable of triggering floods and mudslides. NASA reported that Tropical Storm Rachel was tracking parallel to Mexico’s southwest coast, where the center forecast strong winds, dangerous surf and rip currents. The report also said Polo and its remnants, together with moisture from Post-Tropical Cyclone Odalys, were likely to bring additional heavy rain and flood risk to the Southwest and southern Plains over several days. The report did not provide a confirmed damage or casualty total.
Hurricane Nolo passed near Hawaii without making landfall, but NASA said it dropped more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain on parts of Maui and the Island of Hawaiʻi. News reports cited by NASA described flooded roads, fallen trees and landslides. The report said the Island of Hawaiʻi escaped some of the more severe effects associated with Hurricane Lala in mid-August. NASA’s Disasters Program, working with FEMA, was supporting Hawaii’s response and said it would post maps and other data products as new information became available.
Storm Moisture Extends Flood Concerns
The storms’ effects reached beyond their immediate landfall and rain areas. Polo’s moisture and Odalys’s remnants could feed rainfall across the Southwest and southern Plains, where forecasters warned of additional flood risk. That makes the storms relevant to communities well inland, although the NASA report did not specify which locations would receive the heaviest rain or how much would fall.
For Hawaii, rainfall exceeding 12 inches in parts of two islands was enough to flood roads and contribute to landslides, according to the accounts summarized by NASA. Flooded routes and unstable slopes can affect travel and local response, even when a storm stays offshore. The report’s description of Nolo as sparing the islands some of Lala’s more severe effects provides a comparison of impacts, not a complete accounting of damage.
The broader season figures also show the scale of activity so far. The region had recorded 20 named storms by Sept. 28, against a 1991–2020 average of 13.5 by the same date. Accumulated cyclone energy in the Northeast Pacific was more than twice the norm as of Sept. 28, according to Colorado State University data cited by NASA. These measures describe storm frequency and intensity over time; they do not by themselves establish the effects on any particular community.
A Busy Pacific Season So Far
NASA’s report used an image acquired Sept. 27 by the EPIC camera aboard the DSCOVR satellite to show multiple storms across the Pacific. Alongside Nolo near Hawaii and Polo off Baja California, the image and report covered Tropical Storm Rachel and Post-Tropical Cyclone Odalys. The report placed these storms in the setting of an active season in both the northeastern and central Pacific basins.
By Sept. 28, nine of the region’s 20 named storms had reached hurricane strength. The 1991–2020 averages for the same date were 13.5 named storms and 7.4 hurricanes. NASA also cited Colorado State University data showing Northeast Pacific accumulated cyclone energy above twice the norm on Sept. 28. The cited material does not specify the baseline calculation behind that comparison in the article text, so the figure is best read as the reported seasonal measure rather than a count of storms.
NASA said the basin has been in an El Niño that began in June. The report noted that scientists expect increased tropical cyclone activity in this ocean basin during El Niño and described warm equatorial Pacific waters and low wind shear as patterns that encourage storms to develop and strengthen. This is context for the season’s activity; it does not establish that El Niño alone caused any one storm or its impacts.
Damage Reports Are Still Developing
The NASA report does not give a confirmed total for deaths, injuries, damage or people displaced from Polo or Nolo. It describes impacts reported in Hawaii, including flooded roads, fallen trees and landslides, but does not quantify their extent. It also does not provide a complete accounting of conditions across Baja California Sur and Sonora following Polo’s two landfalls.
Rainfall and flooding risks in the U.S. Southwest and southern Plains were described as forecasts, not completed impacts. The report says Polo’s remnants and moisture from Odalys were likely to move across those areas over several days; it does not state which communities would receive the greatest rainfall or when the threat would end. Rachel’s track and coastal hazards were also part of the developing forecast picture.
Season comparisons depend on the stated dates and baselines. The storm counts compare totals through Sept. 28 with averages for that same point in the 1991–2020 period. The report says accumulated cyclone energy was more than twice the norm, citing Colorado State University, but does not spell out the underlying calculation in its text. The reported figures do not predict how the remainder of the season will unfold.
Forecasts and Response Data Continue
Forecasters will continue tracking rainfall, winds, surf and flood threats associated with the Pacific systems and their remnants. The National Hurricane Center’s advisory archives for Polo and Nolo, both cited by NASA as accessed Sept. 29, contain the agency’s storm updates. The immediate U.S. concern in NASA’s report is the possibility that Polo’s moisture, combined with Odalys’s, will produce additional heavy rain across the Southwest and southern Plains over several days.
In Hawaii, NASA said its Disasters Program and FEMA were supporting the state’s response to Nolo. NASA planned to add maps and data products to its open-access mapping portal as information became available. Those products may help response teams assess conditions, but the report did not give a release schedule or describe the findings of any later assessment.
Updated information is needed to establish the final extent of damage and flooding, and to determine how much rain reaches inland U.S. communities. The storm count and seasonal measures will also change as the season continues. NASA’s Sept. 30 report provides a snapshot of conditions and forecasts available through Sept. 29, rather than a final account of the storms’ consequences.
Key Questions
How active was the Pacific storm season by September 28?
The northeastern and central Pacific had recorded 20 named storms, nine of which reached hurricane strength. NASA compared that with 1991–2020 averages of 13.5 named storms and 7.4 hurricanes by the same date.
Where did Hurricane Polo make landfall?
Polo first made landfall in Baja California Sur around 11 p.m. local time Sept. 28. After crossing the peninsula and Gulf of California, it made a second, weaker landfall near Guaymas around midday Sept. 29.
What impacts did Hurricane Nolo have in Hawaii?
NASA said Nolo passed near Hawaii without making landfall but dropped more than 12 inches of rain on parts of Maui and the Island of Hawaiʻi. News reports cited by NASA described flooded roads, toppled trees and landslides.
Could Polo affect areas far from the coast?
Forecasters cited by NASA said Polo’s remnants, combined with moisture from Post-Tropical Cyclone Odalys, were likely to bring more heavy rain and flood risk to parts of the Southwest and southern Plains over several days. The report did not identify the locations expected to receive the heaviest rain.
Source: primary
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