Hurricane Polo Reaches Category 5 Off Mexico's Pacific Coast

Hurricane Polo has strengthened into a Category 5 storm off Mexico's Pacific coast, with top winds of 180 miles (290 kilometers) per hour, making it one of the most powerful systems recorded in the eastern Pacific.

The storm's intensification ties it with Super Typhoons Bavi and Sinlaku as the strongest system in the Northern Hemisphere this year, according to hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University. Measured by central pressure, Polo ranks as the second-most powerful eastern Pacific system on record, behind Category 5 Patricia in 2015.

The US National Hurricane Center expects Polo to remain very intense through the week, holding Category 5 strength for a couple of days. Its core is forecast to pass near the coast of southwestern Mexico while staying offshore.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged coastal residents to stay alert in case the storm changes course.

Mexico's meteorological agency warned that Polo's broad circulation will bring intense rain, with up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) in some cities, and strong winds along much of the coast, particularly in Guerrero, Oaxaca, Michoacán and Colima. The ports of Lázaro Cárdenas and Manzanillo lie in the latter two states. The agency also cautioned about waves as high as 20 feet and very rough seas.

As of the latest advisory, Polo was about 355 miles south-southeast of Manzanillo and had stopped moving. Tropical storm warnings cover the stretch from Tecpan de Galeana to Punta San Telmo, with a watch extended westward to Playa Perula. The hurricane is relatively compact, with its strongest winds extending only about 35 miles from the center.

Mexico's west coast is frequently hit by destructive storms during the eastern Pacific hurricane season, which runs from May 15 to November 30. In 2023, Hurricane Otis struck Acapulco as a Category 5 storm, killing at least 52 people and causing around $20 billion in damage.