Hurricane Polo has become one of the world’s strongest storms this year as it threatens to lash Mexico’s Pacific Coast with heavy rain and winds.
Polo’s top winds reached 180 miles (290 kilometers) per hour, making it a Category 5 storm in the five-step, Saffir-Simpson scale.
The intensification ties Polo with Super Typhoons Bavi and Sinlaku for the title of the Northern Hemisphere’s strongest storm this year, said Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher and seasonal forecaster with Colorado State University.
By central pressure, Polo is now the second-most powerful system ever recorded in the eastern Pacific, Klotzbach said. Category 5 Patricia, also a compact hurricane, in 2015 had a lower pressure.
The storm, which is forecast to miss Mexico’s coast, could continue to strengthen, the US National Hurricane Center warned.
“The hurricane is expected to remain very intense through this week and, in fact, maintain Category 5 strength for a couple of days,” Richard Pasch, a senior
hurricane specialist at the center, wrote in a forecast. “On the forecast track, the core of Polo is expected to be near the coast of southwestern Mexico through the middle of this week, although it is forecast to remain offshore.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged coastal residents to remain alert in case the storm changes course.
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In 2023, Hurricane Otis struck Acapulco as a Category 5 storm, killing at least 52 people and causing some $20 billion in damage. Mexico’s west coast is often pummeled by destructive storms during the eastern Pacific hurricane season that begins on May 15 and runs through Nov. 30.
Read more: Hurricane Otis’ Insured Losses Estimated at $2.5B-$6B: Moody’s RMS, Verisk
Mexico’s meteorological agency said Polo’s broad circulation would bring intense rain with as much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) in some cities, and strong winds across much of the coast, particularly in the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Michoacán and Colima. The ports of Lázaro Cárdenas and Manzanillo are located in the latter two states.
The agency also warned of dangerous 20-foot waves and very rough seas.
Polo was about 335 miles south-southeast of Manzanillo and is slowly moving. US forecasters expect the storm will start turning sharply to the northwest on Wednesday and follow a path that steers it away from Mexico’s coast through the weekend. Still, Polo’s core is expected to track near the coast and tropical storm warnings have been issued from Tecpan de Galeana to Punta San Telmo, and a watch has been extended westward to Playa Perula.
Polo is a relatively compact hurricane – its strongest winds extend only 35 miles from its center.
