Hurricane Polo Strengthens to Category 5 Off Mexico's Pacific Coast

Hurricane Polo intensified to Category 5 strength off Mexico's Pacific coast on Tuesday, with maximum sustained winds near 165 mph (270 km/h), the US National Hurricane Center said. The storm, described as "extremely dangerous", was located about 205 miles (335 km) south of the tourist town of Zihuatanejo and 345 miles south-southeast of the port city of Manzanillo.

Some further strengthening was likely through Tuesday night, and a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft was en route to investigate the storm, the NHC said. Polo is expected to move slowly offshore over the next couple of days, with a turn toward the northwest and west-northwest forecast for Tuesday night and Wednesday. On that track, the core of the hurricane should remain near the coast of southwestern Mexico but stay offshore.

Rainfall in the coastal states of Guerrero and Michoacan is expected to produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, while less harmful rains are forecast for coastal parts of Oaxaca, Colima and Jalisco. Mexican authorities warned of intense rainfall in western and southern parts of the country that could cause rivers to overflow.

Private forecaster AccuWeather said the storm's reach could extend to tourist destinations including Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta, while southern Baja California Sur, including the Los Cabos area, could face storm surges and strong wind gusts by Sunday. Polo's strong winds and rains are also expected to reach Lazaro Cardenas and Manzanillo, the country's main ports.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said the information so far indicated Polo would not make a direct landfall but would skirt the coast, particularly the states of Jalisco, Colima and Michoacan. "I urge everyone along the Pacific coast to remain very vigilant," she said at her regular morning press conference.

Afterwards, the storm could track farther inland toward the United States, but an interaction with Tropical Storm Odalys could keep the hurricane farther offshore and limit tropical moisture from reaching the southwestern US.

In 2023, Acapulco was devastated by Hurricane Otis, considered the strongest tropical cyclone ever to make landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast. That storm left at least 68 confirmed deaths, according to Guerrero's state Attorney General's Office, and caused approximately $16 billion in damage, according to estimates from Mexican business associations.