Hurricane Polo has prompted Mexican authorities to shut several Pacific ports as the Category 4 storm pounds the coastline with 155 mph winds and monster surf.
The storm, which briefly touched Category 5 strength earlier this week, was located roughly 195 miles southwest of Zihuatanejo and 150 miles south of Manzanillo on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Polo was tracking west-northwest, with hurricane-force winds extending 40 miles from its center and tropical-storm-force winds reaching outward up to 125 miles.
Dramatic footage shared across social platforms captured the storm’s outer bands hammering Acapulco, where enormous waves slammed against the shoreline and fierce winds whipped across the waterfront. Dark clouds spread over the Pacific as violent surf crashed ashore, while residents reported torrential downpours and lightning as Polo’s rainbands swept over Mexico.
The National Hurricane Center warned that swells generated by Polo could produce life-threatening surf, rip currents and coastal flooding along affected coastlines. Tropical-storm conditions were already occurring across portions of the Mexican coast as the storm’s expansive wind field moved through the region.
Mexican authorities moved to close multiple Pacific ports ahead of the dangerous seas, flooding threats and heavy rainfall endangering coastal communities. The NHC projected an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain across portions of Michoacán, Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit, with isolated totals potentially reaching 6 inches.
Nicholas Arman, an AccuWeather hurricane expert, noted the storm’s potential to draw moisture toward the southwestern United States if its projected track holds.
“This is textbook El Niño impacts where the strong tropical development in the Pacific ultimately pushes moisture into the southwestern US,” Arman said.
Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the Ventura County Star on Thursday that Southern California could feel Polo’s influence even without a direct hit. San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties may see 4- to 7-foot swells and dangerous rip currents in coming days, alongside increased humidity and a slight chance of rain.
Polo’s explosive intensification has marked it as one of the most powerful systems observed in the eastern Pacific this season. The storm rapidly strengthened from tropical storm status earlier in the week, catching forecasters’ attention with its swift development.
AccuWeather anticipates Polo will eventually curve toward the Baja California Peninsula, with a possible landfall late Sunday into Monday after the storm weakens from its current intensity. The latest NHC forecast indicates Polo moving away from southwestern Mexico, though fluctuations in strength remain possible through the coming days.
California is not expected to take a direct hit from the hurricane, but coastal residents from San Diego through Los Angeles should prepare for hazardous beach conditions spawned by the distant storm’s energy.
The NHC continues monitoring Polo as it traverses the eastern Pacific, with forecasters tracking any shifts in its west-northwest trajectory that could alter impacts for Mexico and potentially the southwestern United States.