Polo became one of the most powerful Pacific cyclones in decades and threatened coastal flooding and mudslides in southwestern Mexico. A separate Pacific storm, Odalys, reached hurricane strength without posing a land threat, and a third system threatened Hawaii with heavy rain.
Polo reached Category 5 intensity at its peak (maximum sustained winds reported as 180 mph) and was expected to remain a very powerful major hurricane while skirting Guerrero and nearby coasts.
Scientists linked Polo’s rapid intensification to El Niño, which produced warmer Pacific waters and favorable wind patterns for fast hurricane strengthening.
Two other Pacific systems were notable: Odalys became a hurricane far offshore and a separate depression south of Hawaii could bring 15–20 inches of rain to the Big Island within days.
# What happened Hurricane Polo grew into one of the most powerful Pacific storms in decades and moved near Mexico's southwestern coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center called it an "extremely dangerous" storm. Polo reached Category 5 at its peak, with maximum sustained winds reported as 180 mph, and was later measured as a Category 4 with sustained winds around 145 mph while still posing severe threats.
# Where the storm was and who was at risk Polo was tracking offshore, roughly 150 miles south-southwest of Zihuatanejo and about 275 miles south-southeast of Manzanillo at one update. Forecasts expected the storm to skirt Guerrero state rather than make direct landfall, but coastal areas of Guerrero, Michoacán and Colima faced tropical-storm conditions, strong winds and heavy surf.
Coastal communities were expected to receive 4 to 6 inches of rain through Thursday, with higher amounts possible in mountainous zones. Officials warned those rains could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in rural, mountainous areas with vulnerable infrastructure.
# Local response and preparations
# Why Polo intensified so rapidly
# Other Pacific systems to watch
# Practical impacts for residents and travelers
Hawaii residents were advised to monitor forecasts closely due to the potential for heavy rain and prolonged outages in the aftermath of prior storms. Nearby tourist areas could see disruptions to travel and local services.
# Bottom line Polo's rapid intensification and high peak strength made it a particularly dangerous offshore hurricane for southwestern Mexico. El Niño conditions were a major factor in that rapid growth. Authorities deployed personnel, opened shelters and issued evacuations where risk was highest. Two other Pacific systems—Odalys and a developing storm south of Hawaii—added to the region's active tropical outlook.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami has called Polo an "extremely dangerous" storm and forecast the system would turn sharply to the northwest before moving west-northwest over the next several days.
The storm, off the southwest coast of Mexico, is one of the strongest ever in this part of the world.
Polo, with sustained winds of 165mph, is churning 215 miles south of Zihuatanejo but is unlikely to directly hit Mexico A tropical storm off the south-west coast of Mexico has intensified into a category 5 monster in fewer than 24 hours, fueled by stronger than usual El Niño weather patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Hurri
MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Polo has grown into one of the most powerful Pacific cyclones in decades and was expected to skirt Mexico’s southwestern coast as a Category 5 storm, while Pacific system, Odalys, has strengthened from a tropical storm to a hurricane without threatening land.
Hurricane Polo grew into one of the most powerful Pacific cyclones in decades on Tuesday, and it was expected to skirt Mexico’s southwestern coast as a Category 5 hurricane. Polo was an “extremely dangerous” storm with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in an up
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