Nº 0926 · SATURDAY 2026-09-26 · 09:30Z
The Atmosphere Today
No. 0926 · Saturday, September 26, 2026
SINCE YESTERDAYSOUTH OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR — CATEGORY 5 POLO→SOUTH OF THE BIG ISLAND — HURRICANE NOLO STALLS→SOUTH OF OKINAWA — SURIGAE FORECAST TO BECOME A TYPHOON SUNDAY→SOUTH-CENTRAL CHILE — RED ALERTS WIDEN AS A SECOND ATMOSPHERIC RIVER NEARS→SRI LANKA — RED LANDSLIDE WARNINGS FOR GALLE→THE SAUDI SOUTH-WEST — RED ALERTS FOR FLASH FLOODS AND HAIL→EASTERN JAPAN — LAST WEEK'S TYPHOON TOLL STANDS AT 12 DEAD→THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR — A STALLING NOR'EASTER→ODISHA — THE BAY LOW FADES INLAND→NORTHERN ITALY — ORANGE ALERTS→CENTRAL NEW ZEALAND — ORANGE WARNINGS FOR SUNDAY RAIN→OFF CABO VERDE — GONZALO MOVES AWAY; THE ATLANTIC STILL HAS NO HURRICANE→THAILAND — HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH-FLOOD RISK THROUGH SEP 27→THE RHINE AT KAUB — THE GAUGE FALLS BELOW ZERO→NIGERIA — HIGH FLOOD RISK HOLDS FOR CROSS RIVER COMMUNITIES→SOUTH AFRICA — WESTERN STORMS AND EXTREME FIRE DANGER→WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTH-WEST TEXAS — A MARGINAL RISK OF HAIL AND GUSTS→
THE LEAD

Category 5 Hurricane Polo is forecast to hit Baja California Sur Monday.

A hurricane watch runs from Punta Eugenia to Santa Fe, and forecasters urge preparations finished by Sunday.

AT THIS HOURCategory 5 near 17.6 N 111.0 W, 165 mph, 917 mb, moving west-north-west at 9 mphAbout 375 miles south of Cabo San Lucas; tropical-storm-force winds reach 125 miles from the centre.
WHEN IT ARRIVESTropical-storm conditions possible Sunday night; hurricane conditions possible Monday afternoonIt turns north-west today, north on Sunday and north-east on Monday, weakening slowly but still powerful at landfall.
WHAT IS ALREADY IN FORCEHurricane watch from Punta Eugenia to Santa Fe4 to 8 inches of rain, up to 10, over Baja California Sur; life-threatening surf and rip currents along the coast now.

Polo is an extremely dangerous Category 5 this morning, and forecasters now expect it to make landfall in Baja California Sur on Monday as a powerful hurricane. At 2 AM its eye sat about 375 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, with 165 mph winds and a pressure of 917 mb, moving west-north-west at 9 mph. A hurricane watch covers the coast from Punta Eugenia to Santa Fe.

READ THE FULL STORY — SOUTH OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR — CATEGORY 5 POLO, LANDFALL FORECAST MONDAY →
WHERE IT IS — THE BOARD
CARIBBEAN + GULF — NO ACTIVE SYSTEMCARIBBEAN + GULFSOUTHERN BASINS — OFF-SEASONSOUTHERN BASINSSOUTH OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR — CATEGORY 5 POLO, LANDFALL FORECAST MONDAY — open the event1SOUTH OF THE BIG ISLAND — HURRICANE NOLO STALLS, TROPICAL-STORM CONDITIONS ASHORE — open the event2SOUTH OF OKINAWA — SURIGAE (QUEENIE) FORECAST TO BECOME A TYPHOON SUNDAY — open the event3SOUTH-CENTRAL CHILE — RED ALERTS WIDEN AS A SECOND ATMOSPHERIC RIVER NEARS — open the event4SRI LANKA — RED LANDSLIDE WARNINGS FOR GALLE, KANDY AND NUWARA ELIYA — open the event5THE SAUDI SOUTH-WEST — RED ALERTS FOR FLASH FLOODS AND HAIL — open the event6EASTERN JAPAN — LAST WEEK'S TYPHOON TOLL STANDS AT 12 DEAD, 3 MISSING — open the event7THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR — A STALLING NOR'EASTER, 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN — open the event8ODISHA — THE BAY LOW FADES INLAND, ISOLATED HEAVY RAIN TODAY — open the event9NORTHERN ITALY — ORANGE ALERTS, THEN STORMS SHIFT SOUTH TO SICILY — open the event10CENTRAL NEW ZEALAND — ORANGE WARNINGS FOR SUNDAY RAIN, SNOW AND GALES — open the event11OFF CABO VERDE — GONZALO MOVES AWAY; THE ATLANTIC STILL HAS NO HURRICANE — open the event12THAILAND — HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH-FLOOD RISK THROUGH SEP 27 — open the event13THE RHINE AT KAUB — THE GAUGE FALLS BELOW ZERO — open the event14NIGERIA — HIGH FLOOD RISK HOLDS FOR CROSS RIVER COMMUNITIES — open the event15SOUTH AFRICA — WESTERN STORMS AND EXTREME FIRE DANGER — open the event16WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTH-WEST TEXAS — A MARGINAL RISK OF HAIL AND GUSTS — open the event17
heatsevererain / floodtropicalfire weathersmoke / airdroughtwinterquiet

two clocks — Two Pacific hurricanes, two threats — Polo brings a Category 5 toward a Monday landfall.

SYSTEMHAZARDPEAKTRENDTOUCHESCONF
1SOUTH OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR — CATEGORY 5 POLO, LANDFALL FORECAST MONDAY PEAKtropical165 mph● at peak7C
Hurricane Polo holds Category 5 at 165 mph and 917 mb, about 375 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, and forecasters expect a landfall in Baja California Sur on Monday
2SOUTH OF THE BIG ISLAND — HURRICANE NOLO STALLS, TROPICAL-STORM CONDITIONS ASHORE BUILDINGtropical105 mph▲ building6C
Hurricane Nolo sits nearly still about 145 miles south of South Point at 105 mph, and tropical-storm conditions are occurring on the Big Island's steep terrain
3SOUTH OF OKINAWA — SURIGAE (QUEENIE) FORECAST TO BECOME A TYPHOON SUNDAY INTENSIFYINGtropical50 kt▲ intensifying2C
Severe Tropical Storm Surigae, named Queenie in the Philippine area, sits south of Okinawa with 50-knot ten-minute winds and 996 hPa, moving north-north-west at 15 km/h
4SOUTH-CENTRAL CHILE — RED ALERTS WIDEN AS A SECOND ATMOSPHERIC RIVER NEARS BUILDINGwater40+ mm▲ building3R
Red alerts now cover Valdivia and Futrono, Arauco and Cautín, after the first storm left 161 homes affected in Los Ríos and about 30 families cut off in Lanco
5SRI LANKA — RED LANDSLIDE WARNINGS FOR GALLE, KANDY AND NUWARA ELIYA ACTIVEwater300+ mm► ongoing3R
The highest, Level-3 red landslide warnings cover divisions of Galle, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya to 4 pm today, and residents are told to evacuate if the rain continues
6THE SAUDI SOUTH-WEST — RED ALERTS FOR FLASH FLOODS AND HAIL INTENSIFYINGwater—▲ intensifying1R
Red alerts for heavy rain, flash floods and hail cover Jazan, Asir, Al-Baha and the Makkah highlands, including Taif
7EASTERN JAPAN — LAST WEEK'S TYPHOON TOLL STANDS AT 12 DEAD, 3 MISSING RECOVERYtropical—▼ recovery2R
The count from last week's typhoon stands at 12 dead and 3 missing, 7 in Chiba, 4 in Kanagawa and 1 in Miyazaki
8THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR — A STALLING NOR'EASTER, 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN BUILDINGwater1-3 in▲ building3C
A stalling nor'easter brings 1 to 3 inches of rain from Philadelphia to Boston
9ODISHA — THE BAY LOW FADES INLAND, ISOLATED HEAVY RAIN TODAY EASINGwater—▼ easing—R
The system is now a well-marked low over the border of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, with isolated heavy rain over Odisha today before a general easing.
10NORTHERN ITALY — ORANGE ALERTS, THEN STORMS SHIFT SOUTH TO SICILY ACTIVEsevere—► ongoing—R
Orange alerts cover Lombardia, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, with alerts across six regions, as a cyclone over the Ionian drives storms that shift to Sicily and Calabria into Sunday.
11CENTRAL NEW ZEALAND — ORANGE WARNINGS FOR SUNDAY RAIN, SNOW AND GALES EMERGINGwinter60-90 mm▲ emerging—R
Orange warnings for Sunday bring heavy rain to the Tararua Range, heavy snow to Canterbury and inland Otago, and severe gales to the lower North Island
12OFF CABO VERDE — GONZALO MOVES AWAY; THE ATLANTIC STILL HAS NO HURRICANE EASINGtropical45 mph▼ easing—C
Tropical Storm Gonzalo moves north, away from Cabo Verde, at 45 mph, and could dissipate within a day
13THAILAND — HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH-FLOOD RISK THROUGH SEP 27 ACTIVEwater2-3 m► ongoing—R
Heavy to very heavy rain brings flash-flood and runoff risk to the North, Central region including Bangkok, East and South through Sep 27, with 2-to-3-metre waves offshore.
14THE RHINE AT KAUB — THE GAUGE FALLS BELOW ZERO ACTIVEdrought-1 cm► ongoing2C
The Kaub gauge read minus 1 cm late this morning, down from 3 cm a day earlier, so barges through the Rhine gorge load lighter still.
15NIGERIA — HIGH FLOOD RISK HOLDS FOR CROSS RIVER COMMUNITIES ACTIVEwater—► ongoing—R
After the 15-state riverine advisory reached its last day, high-flood-risk messaging continues, with Cross River communities flagged and river stations watched closely.
16SOUTH AFRICA — WESTERN STORMS AND EXTREME FIRE DANGER ACTIVEsevere—► ongoing—R
Yellow level-2 severe storms cover parts of the Northern and Western Cape, and extremely high fire danger covers the north-east Northern Cape
17WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTH-WEST TEXAS — A MARGINAL RISK OF HAIL AND GUSTS ACTIVEsevere—► ongoing—C
A marginal severe-storm risk covers western Oklahoma and north-west Texas, where isolated hail and strong outflow winds are possible; no higher risk area covers the country.

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