Archive · 23 Sep 2026
Hurricane Polo Becomes Category 5 Storm Off Mexico
Hurricane Polo became a very powerful Category 5 storm near Mexico.
Reports gave its winds as between 160 and 180 miles per hour.
Forecasters said the storm would probably stay over the ocean instead of hitting Mexico directly.
However, its center was expected to pass close to the southwestern coast.
The storm could bring very heavy rain, dangerous flooding and mudslides.
It could also create strong winds and waves up to 20 feet high.
Officials suspended classes in Guerrero and Michoacán to help protect people.
Authorities in Acapulco warned residents and visitors to prepare and find nearby shelters.
Mexico’s president also told coastal residents to remain alert in case the storm changed direction.
Hurricane Polo rapidly intensified from Category 1 to Category 5 off Mexico’s Pacific coast.
Reports put Polo’s sustained winds at 160 to 180 mph (260 to 290 kph).
The storm was forecast to remain offshore while its core passed near southwestern Mexico.
Heavy rain, flooding, mudslides, strong winds and waves as high as 20 feet threatened coastal areas.
Authorities suspended classes in Guerrero and Michoacán and urged residents to prepare for severe weather.
- Who
- Hurricane Polo, the US National Hurricane Center, Mexican authorities and residents along Mexico’s Pacific coast.
- What
- Polo rapidly intensified to Category 5 strength and threatened Mexico with heavy rain, strong winds, flooding, mudslides and dangerous seas.
- When
- Polo reached Category 5 strength on Tuesday and was expected to remain very intense through the middle of the week.
- Where
- Off Mexico’s Pacific coast, near southwestern Mexico; Guerrero, Oaxaca, Michoacán and Colima were among the areas facing impacts.
- Why
- Polo’s close approach could produce dangerous weather even though forecasts said its core would remain offshore.
- Storm classification
- Category 5 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.
- Reported winds
- Articles reported sustained winds ranging from about 160 mph (260 kph) to 180 mph (290 kph).
- Strength comparison
- Phil Klotzbach said Polo was tied with Super Typhoons Bavi and Sinlaku as the Northern Hemisphere’s strongest storm of the year by wind speed.
- Forecast track
- The National Hurricane Center forecast Polo to remain offshore while its core passed near southwestern Mexico.
- Rainfall threat
- Mexico’s meteorological agency warned that some cities could receive as much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain.
- Coastal hazards
- Officials warned of strong winds, dangerous 20-foot waves and very rough seas.
- Preparedness
- Classes were suspended in several Pacific coast states, including Guerrero and Michoacán, while Acapulco authorities issued public warnings and directed people to shelters.
