By Emily Green
MEXICO CITY, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Forecasters said Hurricane Polo, which has weakened to a Category 3 storm, is expected to make landfall on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur on Monday night, bringing sustained winds of 60 to 80 mph and heavy rain to the popular tourist destination.
As of 11 a.m. EDT on Sunday, the hurricane was about 200 miles off the Baja California coast, moving north-northwest at 12 mph with sustained winds of 125 mph, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Private forecaster AccuWeather said Polo is expected to gradually weaken before making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, but could still topple trees and power lines and inflict structural damage.
Heavy rain, high surf and strong winds have already prompted evacuations, port closures and school cancellations along Mexico's Pacific coast. In the resort city of San Jose del Cabo, authorities restricted access to beaches as the storm churned up large waves and dangerous surf.
Polo is forecast to dump 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain across Baja California, raising the risk of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, before crossing the Gulf of California and moving into the northern states of Sonora and Chihuahua.
(Reporting by Emily Green; Editing by Nia Williams)
