Hurricane Polo's outer bands hit Mexico's Pacific coast, flooding feared
Hurricane Polo's rainbands reached Mexico's Pacific coast, bringing life-threatening flood and mudslide risks to Guerrero and Michoacan.
Outer rainbands of Hurricane Polo reached Mexico's Pacific coast on Wednesday, with forecasters warning of life-threatening flooding and mudslides as the powerful storm lingered near the southwestern shoreline.
Polo, currently a Category 4 hurricane, is expected to remain offshore, but its core will stay close to the coast over the next day or two, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds were near 155 mph (250 km/h), with higher gusts, after the storm earlier peaked at Category 5 strength.
"Fluctuations in intensity are expected, but Polo is expected to remain a very powerful major hurricane during the next few days," the agency said in an advisory.
The states of Guerrero and Michoacan could receive between 3 and 8 inches (8 and 20 cm) of rain through Thursday, with conditions expected to worsen. The heavy rainfall is also likely to affect nearby coastlines in Oaxaca, Colima and Jalisco.
Mexico's government said it was coordinating efforts to strengthen preparedness and prevention measures along the Pacific coast. Command posts are active in Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco and Guerrero, the Security Ministry said in a statement.
"They are coordinating risk assessment inspections, condition evaluations, preparation of temporary shelters, and, if conditions require it, preventive evacuations," the ministry added.