Category 5 hurricane ‘Polo’ moving parallel to Mexico’s Pacific coast
Considered ‘one of the strongest storms ever,’ the cyclone is not expected to make landfall, but authorities said five states are under watch for torrential rain, high surf, flooding and landslides
Hurricane Polo has become a Category 5 storm—the highest level on the Saffir–Simpson scale—in less than two days. At 6 a.m. on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) placed the center of the system about 210 miles (355 km) south of Zihuatanejo, in the Mexican state of Guerrero, with maximum sustained winds reaching 165 mph (265 km/h).
The rapid intensification of Polo, its projected track off Mexico’s southwest coast and the vulnerability of coastal and highland communities have prompted authorities to sharply increase monitoring in the states of Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Jalisco. Mexican authorities have warned about the potential for heavy rain, landslides, overflowing rivers, flooding and adverse sea conditions in Michoacán and Guerrero.
Although the cyclone is not expected to make landfall, authorities are on high alert in a country that is still feeling the effects of Hurricane Otis, a devastating Category 5 storm that caused 70 deaths and left a trail of destruction in 2023.
A Category 5 hurricane
Polo has reached Category 5, reserved for hurricanes with sustained winds of 157 mph (252 km/h) or higher. Accumulated rainfall, flash floods, landslides and high surf can cause severe damage in places that are far from the hurricane’s center. In the case of Polo, Mexico’s main risk is not a direct hit but the effects on the coast and the Pacific highlands. In the early hours of Wednesday, the NHC reported that “outer rainbands of Polo are beginning to reach the coast of southwestern Mexico.”
The progression has been very quick. In the early hours of Tuesday the system intensified very rapidly: Mexico’s National Meteorological Service reported it had become Category 4 after having been Category 2 just hours earlier. A subsequent advisory from the NHC confirmed the escalation to Category 5.
Rain and landslide risk
The NHC has forecast 100 to 200 millimeters of rainfall for coastal areas of Guerrero and Michoacán through Thursday, with isolated maximums up to 300 millimeters. Oaxaca, Colima and Jalisco are expected to receive between 75 and 150 millimeters along their coastal sectors during the same period. These amounts could trigger urban flooding and overflow of streams and rivers, especially where soils are already saturated from previous rain. The risk rises in the Sierra Madre del Sur and other steep terrain, where water can rush down ravines and temporary channels.
The U.S. advisory explicitly warns of “potentially life-threatening” flash floods and landslides in steep terrain areas of Guerrero and Michoacán. The threat includes mountainous municipalities and rural communities that are not necessarily on the front line of the coast but could suffer impacts from road closures, rockfalls, sudden water flows and service outages.
Wind, surf and active monitoring
The sea is one of the main risk zones. Surf generated by Polo will affect sectors of Mexico’s southwest coast over the coming days, with dangerous conditions for navigation, swimming and exposed communities. The NHC warns that the surf can produce rip currents—fast flows of water moving away from the shore that can pull people out to sea. Even if the center of the storm remains offshore, wind gusts can topple branches, traffic signs and light structures. In coastal towns, surf can erode beaches, damage palapas and harm infrastructure near the shore.
Preventive measures
Authorities in Guerrero and Michoacán have suspended classes as a preventive measure. On Tuesday the suspension applied to Acapulco, Costa Grande and Costa Chica in Guerrero; in Michoacán, the measure will be in force Wednesday in seven municipalities of the Sierra-Costa region. Additionally, port authorities have restricted navigation at points such as Acapulco, Puerto Marqués, Zihuatanejo and Lázaro Cárdenas due to high seas and adverse maritime conditions.
People are advised to avoid crossing water currents, stay away from beaches and breakwaters, secure objects that could be blown away by wind, and prepare documents, medicines and an evacuation route if living in an area at risk.
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