Hurricane Polo path: Where is "extremely dangerous" Hurricane Polo now? Category 5 storm near Mexico triggers US Embassy warning, schools shut

Hurricane Polo has grown into one of the most powerful Pacific cyclones in decades, and it was expected to skirt Mexico’s southwestern coast as a Category 5 storm. As hurricane polo intensifies, various queries related to it have started trending on Google with many people searching hurricane polo tracker, hurricane polo path, where is hurricane polo, hurricane polo Mexico and hurricane polo track. Hurricane Polo intensified on Tuesday, weather forecasters warned and added that it could strengthen further as the Category 5 storm moves alongside the southwestern coast of Mexico. Polo was an “extremely dangerous” storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 m.p.h. (265 km/h), the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, hurricane polo was almost stationary and was about 200 miles (325 kilometres) south of Zihuatanejo in Guerrero state. It was forecast to turn sharply to the northwest during the day and then move in west-northwest over the next several days. Tropical storm conditions were expected along the Pacific coast in Guerrero, Michoacan and Colima states Wednesday into Thursday.

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The Miami-based National Hurricane Center described Polo as an "extremely dangerous" system featuring maximum sustained winds reaching 165 mph (266 kph). Positioned 205 miles (330 kilometers) south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, the cyclone was creeping northward at 2 mph (3.2 kph).

Hurricane Polo: Schools in Mexico halted

As hurricane polo edged past the shoreline, Mexican authorities temporarily suspended classes in a number of areas along the coast as Polo brushed along the coastline. Many residents of the region were on edge this week watching the rapidly intensifying hurricane plow by. In recent years, the Pacific coastal states of Guerrero and Oaxaca have been ravaged by powerful hurricanes walloping the coast, with a number of communities still picking up the pieces.

Forecasters cautioned that intense precipitation could trigger mudslides and flash floods. About 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) of rain was forecast for Guerrero and Michoacán states, with smaller amounts possible for coastal portions of Oaxaca, Colima and Jalisco states.

On the forecast track, Polo was expected to remain offshore. Tropical-storm-force winds and rough surf generated by Polo could also affect the coast. Category 5 is the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, reflecting that the storm’s maximum sustained winds exceed 157 mph (253 kph).

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US Embassy in Mexico issues weather warning

According to Associated Press, the US Embassy in Mexico issued a weather alert, instructing citizens to avoid water and beaches and to heed warnings from Mexican authorities. “Even if the storm does not make direct landfall, heavy rain may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Hazardous ocean conditions—intensified by storms—may result in deadly rip currents and rogue waves,” the embassy wrote in a statement.

The rapid intensification of the storm has stunned scientists and authorities alike, with the NHC writing in a report that it was “truly remarkable” how quickly Polo gained strength in the past 24 hours. Philip Klotzbach, research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, attributed the intensification to the weather phenomenon known as El Niño, which has fuelled crippling droughts in Mexico and Central America and floods in other parts of the region.

Hurricane Polo brings risk of mudslides, floods

Hurricane Polo has once again put residents along Mexico’s Pacific coast on edge. Beaches emptied and dark clouds swirled above choppy seas, while Mexican authorities temporarily suspended classes Tuesday in a number of areas. Mexico’s navy shut down ports in the states of Guerrero and Michoacán and warned civilians and fishermen to take care as Hurricane Polo approached.

Concepción López Villegas was busily preparing her seaside restaurant for what may come. Strong waves were already lapping at the coastline of her city Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán. As men and children watched the stirring waters behind her, López Villegas said she feared powerful waves from Hurricane Polo would destroy the small business she has worked decades to build.

“We’re worried and trying to protect our businesses,” López Villegas said. “And of course, we’re sad because it’s our heritage, our legacy that from one moment to another could be destroyed.”

U.S. National Hurricane Centre data shows Hurricane Polo’s winds reached speeds comparable to only a few hurricanes in the region in recent decades, primarily Hurricane Patricia, which had winds that reached 215 m.p.h. (346 km/h) in 2015.

“This is one of the strongest storms ever in the (Pacific) Basin,” said Kristen L. Corbosiero, professor at the University at Albany’s Department of Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences.