Hurricane Nolo continued on its path near Hawaii on Sunday, Sept. 27, while Hurricane Polo approached Mexico.
Category 2 Nolo, now centered about 160 miles south of the Big Island, threatens to bring heavy rain to both the Big Island and Maui.
"Due to the slow movement of the storm, there is the potential for this to be a long-lasting, life-threatening rain event that could last through the weekend," AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said in an online forecast.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles to the east, Hurricane Polo is making a beeline for the Baja Peninsula of Mexico, where the National Hurricane Center said that "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."
The two hurricanes are part of an extremely
active season in the Pacific that's due mainly to the effects of a powerful El Niño.
Hurricane Nolo's impacts on Hawaii
Early Sept. 27, the hurricane center said that rain bands from Nolo will continue through the morning across the Big Island and Maui, though the showers are expected to gradually diminish in intensity and frequency through the day. "Additional areas of flooding and mudslides will be possible, especially in areas of steep terrain," the center said.
Storm totals through Sept. 27 will range between 10 and 15 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches.
The hurricane center added that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 100 mph with higher gusts. Nolo is predicted to strengthen into a major hurricane later on Sept. 27 and reach its peak intensity by Sept. 28. "Weakening is expected thereafter," the hurricane center said.
Strong and gusty winds are possible for all of the Hawaiian Islands through the weekend, although the core winds of Nolo will stay to the south.
Hurricane Polo approaches Mexico
Polo is forecast to approach the west coast of the Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Sept. 28 as a hurricane, and a hurricane warning is in effect for the region.
Tropical storm conditions could reach portions of the coast as soon as tonight or early Sept. 28, making further preparations difficult, the hurricane center said. These conditions will likely spread across Baja California through Sept. 28. Storm surge is likely, especially in areas of onshore winds.
The "rainfall may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," the hurricane center said.
The remnants of Polo are expected to dump heavy rain across the central United States next week, forecasters said: Around the same time that what is left of Polo enters the United States, a large non-tropical storm will be sweeping eastward from the Great Basin and Rockies, AccuWeather said.
"As the two features combine, perhaps into a massive hybrid storm system, areas of beneficial rain and flash flooding are likely to unfold," AccuWeather meteorologist Alyssa Glenny said.
Other storms in the Pacific
In addition to Nolo and Polo, Hurricane Odalys is spinning in the open Pacific Ocean far from land. The storm is weakening, the hurricane center said. Elsewhere, Tropical Depression 18-E has formed closer to Mexico, and is expected to become a named storm and then a hurricane over the next few days.
Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, with a focus on weather and climate.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Powerful Pacific hurricanes Nolo and Polo threaten Hawaii and Mexico
