Hurricane Polo strengthens to Category 5 off Mexico, threatening US Southwest floods

Hurricane Polo rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Tuesday, reaching peak sustained winds of 180 mph and tying the record for the most Category 5 hurricanes in an eastern Pacific season.

The storm’s winds increased by 95 mph in just 22 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center, which described Polo as “extremely dangerous”. It is the third Category 5 hurricane in the eastern Pacific this season, tying the 1994 season for the most by 22 September, Colorado State University hurricane scientist Phil Klotzbach noted, USA Today reported.

Polo was centred about 215 miles south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and its core was expected to skirt the coast while remaining offshore, the NHC said. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Tecpan de Galeana to Punta San Telmo, with a watch extended westward to Playa Perula.

Mexican authorities temporarily suspended classes in coastal areas and shut ports in Guerrero and Michoacán as a precaution. President Claudia Sheinbaum said forecasts showed the storm remaining offshore but urged residents to stay alert: “At this point, it doesn’t look like it will make landfall; it will simply skirt the coast. People should remain on high alert.”

Heavy rain of 3 to 12 inches was forecast for Guerrero and Michoacán, with the potential for flash flooding and mudslides in mountainous areas, according to the NHC.

The storm’s moisture is also pushing into the United States, with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque warning of “widespread heavy rainfall” that could cause life-threatening flash floods in New Mexico. A level 3-out-of-4 flash flood threat was issued for southern parts of the state, including Las Cruces, shifting toward Roswell and Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Forecasters are also watching Tropical Storm Odalys in the Pacific, which could interact with Polo in a rare meteorological dance known as the Fujiwhara effect, USA Today reported.

Sources

• USA Today — El Niño goes wild: Pacific Ocean under siege from tropical cyclones: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2026/09/22/hurricane-polo-mexico-hawaii-fujiwhara-effect/91887946007/
• Associated Press — Hurricane Polo grows into a Category 5 storm off Mexico: https://www.kcau9.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-hurricane-polo-grows-into-a-category-4-storm-in-the-pacific-off-mexico/
• Times Now — Hurricane Polo path: Category 5 storm intensifies off Mexico: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/hurricane-polo-path-category-5-storm-intensifies-off-mexico-california-arizona-new-mexico-could-see-impacts-article-156206285/amp
• The Watchers — Hurricane Polo intensifies to Category 5, heavy rainfall threatens southwestern Mexico: https://watchers.news/2026/09/22/hurricane-polo-intensifies-to-category-5-heavy-rainfall-threatens-southwestern-mexico/