Hurricane "Polo" is intensifying near Mexico and threatens flooding
Kyiv • UNN
Hurricane "Polo," with winds of up to 270 km/h, is intensifying off the coast of Mexico. The storm threatens flooding and landslides in coastal states.
According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane "Polo," which reached Category 5 strength (the highest possible) earlier on Tuesday, continues to intensify off Mexico’s Pacific coast, posing a threat of life-threatening flooding, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
The NHC said that, despite its proximity to land and the expected heavy rainfall, "Polo" will likely move slowly along the coast over the next few days before changing course and moving away from shore.
"The storm is expected to turn northwest and west-northwest tonight and on Wednesday," the NHC warned. "According to the forecast, the center of ‘Polo’ will remain near the coast of southwestern Mexico over the next few days, although it is expected to remain over ocean waters."
With sustained winds reaching approximately 270 km/h, the storm is likely to strengthen further overnight into Wednesday. It was also reported that an aircraft operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—the so-called "hurricane hunter"—is already heading to the disaster area to study "Polo."
"Polo," which the NHC classifies as "extremely dangerous," is currently located approximately 335 km south of the resort city of Zihuatanejo.
According to the NHC forecast, rainfall in the coastal states of Guerrero and Michoacán could cause life-threatening flooding and landslides; less intense rain is also expected in coastal areas of the states of Oaxaca, Colima, and Jalisco.
Mexican authorities warned of heavy rainfall in the western and southern regions of the country, which could cause rivers to overflow.
Private weather service AccuWeather said the storm’s impacts could extend to tourist destinations such as Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta, while the southern part of the state of Baja California Sur (including the Los Cabos area) could face storm surges and strong wind gusts by Sunday.
The storm could later move inland toward the United States, but its movement will be affected by interaction with Tropical Storm "Odalis"; this could keep the hurricane farther offshore and limit the intrusion of tropical moisture into the southwestern United States.
Strong winds and rain caused by "Polo" are also expected to reach the country’s main ports—Lázaro Cárdenas and Manzanillo. "The information currently available indicates that (Storm ‘Polo’) will not make a direct landfall; it will pass offshore (...) particularly past the states of Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán. And I urge everyone on the Pacific coast to remain vigilant," President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her regular morning press conference.
In 2023, Acapulco was hit by a devastating natural disaster—Hurricane "Otis," considered the most powerful tropical cyclone ever to make landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast. According to the Guerrero State Attorney General’s Office, the storm that struck the region in late October claimed the lives of at least 68 people, while the damage it caused was estimated by Mexican business associations at approximately $16 billion.