Sawt Falasteen - Polo makes landfall in Mexico as Category 3 hurricane

The Category 3 storm is the latest in a busy storm season turbo-charged by the El Nino weather phenomenon which has caused unprecedented warming in the equatorial Pacific.

Polo hit just south of Las Barrancas, a small fishing village in Baja California Sur state on Mexico's west side, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, warning of life-threatening winds and flash flooding.

As Polo approached, strong winds churned the sea and waves off Puerto San Carlos, a fishing port of nearly 6,000 people in Baja California Sur.

AFP reporters noted that the sea had already breached several sections of a sand barrier, causing water to pour into the street.

The town's power supply was cut, palm trees swayed violently in the wind and Mexican authorities ordered residents to take shelter.

Juan Manuel Sarabia had boarded up the facade of his home and reinforced it with wooden beams.

"It's coming with full force," the 53-year-old whale-watching and fishing guide told AFP.

- 'Very severe damage' -

On Tuesday Polo had sustained winds of up to 175 kilometers (110 miles) per hour, the NHC said.

This year's Pacific hurricane season is shaping up as more severe than usual, as a Super El Nino -- an extreme version of a recurring weather pattern -- wreaks devastation, in the form of historic droughts and flooding.

Meteorologists have issued Polo-related warnings of heavy rain and flooding in parts of 10 US states including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado. Several of the states are experiencing drought.

The head of Mexico's meteorological service, Fabian Vazquez, said storm surges and heavy rains could cause "very severe" damage.

Some 169 shelters have been opened across Baja California Sur.

At one high school near the sea, shopkeeper Maria Palomino was preparing to ride out the storm on a mattress on the floor.

"If something happens, it's better to come to the shelter," the 57-year-old said. "We'll be among people we know."

Only a handful of homes and businesses in the town were boarded up or sandbagged against flooding.

A passing police officer told AFP he believed the entire town should have been forced to evacuate.

"Everything is going to flood," he said.

- 'It will be tough' -

Margarita Diaz and her family ultimately opted to shelter at home in Puerto San Carlos, behind windows sealed only with blue masking tape.

"It will be tough, but I have faith in God," Diaz said.

The military has deployed nearly 7,000 troops in Baja California Sur state, where classes were suspended and public servants have been ordered to work from home, where possible.

Laura Velazquez, National Coordinator of Civil Protection, said all maritime activities were suspended in the area.

El Nino raises surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean and causes global changes in winds and rainfall.

In addition to Polo, meteorologists are monitoring Rachel, a tropical storm also brewing in the Pacific off Mexico that is expected to run parallel to the coast and is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane mid-week.

Y.Shaath--SF-PST