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Hurricane Polo swept across Mexico with winds of up to 175 kilometers (110 miles) per hour, ripping roofs off houses, felling trees, and flooding roads, but caused little serious damage and no reported injuries, according to initial assessments by authorities.
In Ciudad Juarez, residents experienced heavy rainfall and flooding as the storm system moved inland.
The Category 3 hurricane made landfall late Monday in the south of the Baja California peninsula, then raked across the region and hopped the Gulf of California before weakening to a tropical storm as it moved northeast into the Mexican mainland.
Up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rainfall is expected in Sonora state, with the U.S. National Hurricane Center warning of life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Winds have weakened considerably to about 75 kilometers per hour.
Polo marks the latest in a busy Pacific storm season supercharged by El Niño, which has caused unprecedented warming in the equatorial Pacific.
State power authorities worked to restore electricity while officials promised assistance with home repairs and street dredging.
A military vessel arrived in the area with 2,000 batches of food and basic supplies, drinking water, backhoes, heavy transport vehicles, inflatable boats, a demolition team, and a helicopter "to provide support to the population," the Navy reported.
This year's Pacific hurricane season is shaping up as more severe than usual, with a Super El Niño bringing historic droughts and flooding across Central America.
Meteorologists issued Polo-related warnings of heavy rain and flooding in parts of 10 U.S. states, including Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Tropical Storm Rachel is paralleling Mexico's Pacific coast and is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane by Thursday.
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