Hurricane Polo grew into one of the most powerful Pacific cyclones in decades on Wednesday, 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 290km/h the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said in an update from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft that was sent into the cyclone.
It was the third Category 5 hurricane of the Pacific season, following Genevieve and Lowell earlier this year. Category 5 is the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, reflecting that a storm has maximum sustained winds exceeding 253km/h.
Polo was centred 338km south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and nearly stationary over the Pacific Ocean at midday. The hurricane centre update said Polo was expected to travel in a generally west-northwestward direction over the next several days.
‘One of the strongest storms ever’ in the Pacific
The hurricane set residents of Mexico's Pacific coast on edge once again after being walloped by powerful cyclones a number of times in recent years. Beaches emptied out and dark clouds swirled above choppy seas, while Mexican authorities temporarily suspended classes in a number of areas on Tuesday.
National Hurricane Centre data shows that Polo has reached speeds comparable to only a few hurricanes to form in the region in recent decades, primarily Hurricane Patricia, which reached 346km/h in 2015.
"This is one of the strongest storms ever in the [Pacific] Basin," said Kristen L. Corbosiero, professor at the University at Albany’s Department of Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences.
The US Embassy in Mexico issued a weather alert, instructing citizens to avoid water and beaches and to heed warnings from Mexican authorities.
"Even if the storm does not make direct landfall, heavy rain may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Hazardous ocean conditions—intensified by storms—may result in deadly rip currents and rogue waves," the embassy wrote in a statement.
Rapid intensification of Polo fuelled by El Niño
The rapid intensification of the storm has stunned scientists and authorities alike, with the NHC writing in a report that it was "truly remarkable" how quickly Polo gained strength in the past 24 hours.
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Philip Klotzbach, research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, attributed the intensification to the weather phenomenon known as El Niño, which has fuelled crippling droughts in Mexico and Central America and floods in other parts of the region.
In the Pacific, it has resulted in warmer waters and wind patterns that act as fodder for hurricanes, he said.
“There are all the ingredients that hurricanes need to get really strong really fast," Klotzbach said.
For many on the Pacific coast, Polo brought back harsh memories of devastating Hurricane Otis in 2023, which tore through nearby port city Acapulco. The destruction and dozens of people killed by the storm were attributed, in part, to the rapid intensification of the hurricane because it gave residents little time to brace themselves, pull their boats onto shore or evacuate.
Storm is skirting Mexico's coast
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in her morning press briefing that experts had indicated that the hurricane was not likely to touch land. Mexico’s navy shut down ports in the states of Guerrero and Michoacán as a precaution and warned civilians and fishermen to take care.
As Polo plowed by Acapulco, the swirling seas and normally packed beaches were left eerily empty and dark clouds churned overhead.
Heavy rain could produce flash flooding and mudslides. About 8 to 15cm of rain was forecast for Guerrero and Michoacán states, with smaller amounts possible for coastal portions of Oaxaca, Colima and Jalisco states. Strong winds and rough surf were also expected.
Tropical Storm Odalys was also in the Pacific Ocean but far from land. The cyclone was expected to become a hurricane sometime Tuesday, the hurricane center said. Odalys had maximum sustained winds of 105km/h.
In the Atlantic Ocean, Fay weakened to a tropical depression. Maximum sustained winds were down to 56km/h. Tuesday and the system was far southwest of the Azores. Forecasters said it would be a remnant low later in the day.
No Atlantic hurricanes have formed yet this year, and this year has set a record for the longest start to a season without a hurricane. The effects of this year’s El Niño crush storms before they get going.
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