Hurricane Polo Reaches Category 4 Off Mexico’s Pacific Coast

Hurricane Polo Reaches Category 4 Off Mexico’s Pacific Coast

Hurricane Polo has grown into a Category 4 storm in the eastern Pacific. Satellite images show a tight spiral and a forming eye. The system is moving off southwestern Mexico.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Polo’s maximum sustained winds reached 215 kmph late Monday, September 21. On the Saffir-Simpson scale, Category 4 covers 130 to 156 mph. Category 5 starts at 157 mph.

The storm now has a compact core. Deep thunderstorms wrap around the centre. An eye is becoming visible from space.

Warm ocean water, plentiful moisture, and weak wind shear are helping Polo strengthen quickly. Forecasters said it could intensify further. It may reach Category 5 on Tuesday or Wednesday. Peak winds near 160 mph are possible.

Even so, Polo is expected to stay at sea. It was drifting slowly east-southeast. A sharp turn toward the northwest and west-northwest is then likely. That path could keep the strongest core roughly parallel to Mexico’s coast.

Offshore track does not remove all risk. Officials issued a Tropical Storm Watch for parts of the southwestern coast. Heavy rain is likely in Guerrero and Michoacán. Intense downpours can cause dangerous floods and mudslides, especially on steep slopes.

Polo’s jump in strength stood out. On Monday morning, winds were only about 65 mph. Hours later, aircraft and satellite data showed a much better organised and stronger storm.

The centre remained hundreds of kilometres south of Manzanillo and Zihuatanejo. The fiercest winds therefore stayed over water. Forecasters continue to watch small shifts in track. Those shifts could change rainfall and wind along the Pacific coast.

Residents in watch areas should follow local alerts and avoid flood-prone ravines until the storm moves away.