Hurricane Polo Intensifies to Category 5 off Mexico's Pacific Coast, Expected to Stay Offshore

Key facts

• Hurricane Polo intensified rapidly from Category 1 to Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale in less than a day, with sustained winds of around 160 mph (260 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
• The NHC forecast the core of Polo to remain offshore near the coast of southwestern Mexico, though life-threatening flooding and mudslides were expected in parts of Mexico, with further strengthening expected through Wednesday.
• Schools were suspended in Pacific coast states including Guerrero and Michoacan, and authorities in Acapulco, devastated by Hurricane Otis in 2023, issued warnings about thunderstorms.
• Mexico's cyclone season runs from May to November, and the current season is expected to be particularly active due to El Nino, a climate phenomenon that recurs every two to seven years and weakens east-to-west trade winds.