Polo becomes Category 5 hurricane threatening Mexico's Pacific coast
Hurricane Polo rapidly strengthens into a Category 5 just off Mexico’s Pacific coast, threatening flooding rain, damaging winds, storm surge and dangerous surf this week.
A wave heading for California could lift sea levels by a foot, exaggerating coastal flooding and erosion that could cause serious damage.
Hurricane Polo has rapidly strengthened into a major Category 5 hurricane as it threatens portions of Mexico’s Pacific coast with flooding rain, damaging winds and storm surge.
As of Tuesday morning, Polo has maximum sustained winds up to 160 mph and is moving east at 6 mph about 360 miles from Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
Hurricane Polo eye path on Sept. 22, 2026.
"This storm has the potential to rapidly intensify and begin bringing flooding rain to the Mexican states of Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán by Tuesday," AccuWeather Hurricane Lead Expert Alex Duffus said.
This image of Polo, as a Category 4 major hurricane, was captured on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AccuWeather Enhanced RealVue™ Satellite)
Due to the distance, Polo is forecast to be offshore, with risks of flooding rain, damaging winds and storm surge; it is rated a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes in Mexico. A track closer to the coast could bring more severe impacts to the Mexican coast.
"A broad area of 1-2 inches of rain is expected across parts of coastal southwestern Mexico," Duffus said. "Rainfall totals of 4-8 inches are likely along the coasts of Guerrero, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 18 inches."
Wind gusts along the coasts of Guerrero, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán and in southwestern Nayarit are forecast to range from 40-80 mph, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 100 mph. Gusts of 40-60 mph are forecast across southern Baja California Sur.
The brewing hurricane is likely to bring dangerous surf, strong wind gusts and heavy rain to Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas this week.
The storm will generate large swells near its center. Those swells will spread outward over time, although the storm’s compact size may limit the extent of dangerous seas reaching the coast. The steep slope along much of the Mexican coast should limit the magnitude of the storm surge.
The storm may make several abrupt turns early this week, adding uncertainty to the track forecast.
A track closer to the coast would increase rainfall, winds and wave action, resulting in more significant impacts.
Eastern Pacific tropical troubles to continue
Late in September, moisture from the storm could stream into the southwestern United States, where the North American monsoon has already produced rounds of heavy showers and thunderstorms in recent weeks.
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Additional tropical cyclones may develop in the eastern Pacific in the coming weeks, sending more swells toward Southern California and raising the risk of large waves, dangerous surf and coastal overwash from late September into early October.
More tropical downpours for Hawaii as another storm approaches
AccuWeather meteorologists are currently monitoring a tropical rainstorm well southeast of Hawaii that could track close enough to bring drenching rain and flash flooding to the Big Island, spreading to the central islands during the middle to latter part of this week.
Should the storm strengthen, the next name on the list of central Pacific tropical cyclones is Nolo.
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