Hurricane Polo near Mexico intensifies to Category 5 — CBS News

Hurricane Polo in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico’s southwestern coast rapidly intensified to Category 5. Its maximum sustained wind speed reached 165 mph, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center called the hurricane extremely dangerous, CBS News reports.

On Tuesday evening, the center of the cyclone was at sea near the resort cities of Zihuatanejo in Guerrero state and Manzanillo in Colima state. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 35 miles from its center. After gradually moving north along the Pacific coast, the storm nearly stalled in the morning.

Coastal warnings

The Mexican government issued a tropical storm warning for a stretch of coastline from Tecpan de Galeana in Guerrero state to Punta San Telmo in Michoacán state. A tropical storm watch is in effect for the section from Punta San Telmo to Playa Perula in Jalisco state.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Forecasters predict that tropical storm conditions are expected Wednesday morning in areas under the warning. They may develop in the watch area by Thursday.

Heavy rain and dangerous waves

Polo is expected to turn sharply northwest on Tuesday night and Wednesday, while its center will pass near Mexico’s southwestern coast in the coming days, remaining over water. Guerrero and Michoacán states could receive from 4 to 8 inches of rainfall through Thursday, with up to 8 inches in some places.

Coastal areas of Oaxaca, Colima, and Jalisco are forecast to receive from 2 to 4 inches of rainfall. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that heavy rain could cause life-threatening flooding and landslides, especially in areas with steep terrain. Dangerous surf and rip currents are also expected along the southwestern coast.