Adrian Hernandez/THE RIDER
The Rio Grande Valley avoided the worst of Hurricane Polo’s remnants in late September, but local emergency officials are warning residents to remain informed about changing weather conditions and forecasts.
Ricardo Saldaña, Hidalgo County Emergency Management coordinator, said forecasts initially predicted the storm would bring significant rainfall to the Valley, but conditions changed as the storm moved through the region.
“As the forecast changed on a daily basis, the rains tapered off from the north … Significantly, it didn’t impact us as much as it did in Starr County on the initial onset,” Saldaña said.
Hurricane Polo struck Mexico in late September, with its remnants traveling across Southwest Texas and causing flooding in parts of New Mexico, El Paso, and as far as San Antonio, according to emergency officials.
Dean Kyne, UTRGV professor of sociology and visiting scholar at Harvard University, provided The Rider with trajectory data for Hurricane Polo from HURREVAC, a website accessible only to emergency officials. The data showed Polo was initially a Category 5 hurricane that formed in the Pacific before weakening to Category 2 and making landfall in Mexico’s Baja California.
Kyne, who also serves as program coordinator for UTRGV disaster studies, provided hurricane category simulations from the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale website, which demonstrate that even the winds of a weaker Category 1 hurricane can cause structural damage.
UTRGV had also sent emails about possible flooding on the Edinburg campus on Oct. 1.
Saldaña said the changing forecasts surrounding Polo were reminiscent of the volatile nature of Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
“The forecast model showed Harvey’s track was a direct impact to the mouth of the Rio Grande in South Texas, and it was a Category 5 hurricane at that time,” he said. “The forecast changed overnight, tracking it all along the coast were [it] finally made [an] impact just north of Corpus Christi.”
Saldaña added that if hurricanes such as Polo or Harvey directly impacted the RGV, “We would have … significant … flooding in our area.”
Adrian Hernandez/THE RIDER
Although the worst of the Rio Grande Valley’s hurricane season is coming to a close, Saldaña said residents should continue monitoring local weather warnings, as severe weather can be unpredictable.
Currently, there are no upcoming hurricanes projected for the Valley. However, the region could see an increase in rainy weather this winter, according to emergency officials.
“We’re going to start seeing a lot more rain coming into our area. We’re going to have a wet winter, as they say,” Saldaña said.
He added the winter outlook is a prediction and weather forecasts can change.
In addition to complex weather predictions, Saldaña said other barriers could contribute to public confusion.
He said the public often overlooks “the area where [a] hurricane is going” and “what side the hurricane [is] going to be on” regarding the sides of the wind and rain.
When asked whether public misconceptions were attributed to the Valley’s lack of severe weather, Saldaña replied himself and other emergency officials of the region “do a tremendous job year round to educate the public via social media … interviews … presentations”; however, awareness really comes down to residents’ willingness to educate themselves.
Marlene Gonzalez, an integrated health science freshman, said she was not aware of Hurricane Polo. Although she attributed her lack of awareness to the Valley’s limited severe weather. She agreed residents could do more to educate themselves.
Gonzalez said the weather does affect her experience on campus.
“Driving in the rain is kind of scary,” she said, adding she would probably stay home if rainy weather became severe.
Saldaña said he emphasizes that residents monitor the weather through official sources, such as AccuWeather and The Weather Channel.
He also warned students about potential misinformation on social media, further adding to barriers when accessing the Valley’s weather conditions accurately.
For more information on hurricane preparation, visit ready.gov
