Hurricane Polo Explodes to Category 5, Models Show Potential US Landfall
Forecasters are monitoring Hurricane Polo, a powerful Category 5 storm in the Pacific, for potential impacts on several southwestern US states within the next week.
Hurricane Polo intensified into a Category 5 storm Tuesday morning, with maximum sustained winds reaching 160 mph. Forecasters are tracking its path, as models suggest its remnants could affect parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas within seven to 10 days.
The storm is currently moving east in the Pacific Ocean, but is expected to shift northwest by Tuesday night and then west-northwest on Wednesday. While most projections keep Polo over the Pacific, some model scenarios show its weakening remnants moving across northern Mexico and potentially reaching the southwestern United States.
Southern California could experience early effects, including large swells and dangerous rip currents, by the weekend, even if the storm remains offshore. Moisture from the storm could also reach western Texas later in the forecast period.
The National Hurricane Center is not currently forecasting a US landfall, but meteorologists are emphasizing the need for continued monitoring. "While a few models have this storm turning into the Gulf of California, and possibly into the Southwestern part of the US, most weather maps push this storm northwest away from land," meteorologist Ross Ellet stated on Facebook. "This will need to be watched in the days ahead."
Polo could strengthen further through Tuesday night, though its intensity may vary on Wednesday. Hurricane-force winds extend 35 miles from its center, with tropical-storm-force winds reaching up to 90 miles.
Meanwhile, a tropical storm watch is in effect for Mexico's coast from Tecpan de Galeana to Manzanillo, where damaging conditions are possible by early Wednesday. Polo is also forecast to bring heavy rainfall to coastal Guerrero and Michoacán, potentially causing life-threatening floods and mudslides. Coastal Oaxaca, Colima, and Jalisco could also see significant rainfall, and large swells are expected to create dangerous surf conditions along southwestern Mexico's coast.
Meteorologist Dylan Federico noted that "Polo is forecast to become one of the strongest hurricanes of all-time in the Eastern Pacific."