Hurricane Polo Reaches Category 5 in Record 24 Hours
The storm intensified from tropical depression to the highest Saffir-Simpson level in just 36 hours, matching historic cyclones Otis and Patricia.
KEY POINTS
- Hurricane Polo reached Category 5 on Tuesday, Sept 22, just 24 hours after becoming a hurricane.
- Total development from tropical depression to Category 5 took 36 hours, matching Otis and Patricia.
- Polo skipped Category 3, jumping from Category 2 to 4 in three hours Monday night.
- Guerrero suspended classes in three regions; Acapulco port closed to small vessels.
- SMN forecasts intense rains for 72 hours along Guerrero, Michoacán, and Colima coasts.
Hurricane Polo strengthened to Category 5 on Tuesday morning, achieving the maximum Saffir-Simpson rating in only 24 hours after becoming a hurricane. This rapid intensification places it alongside Hurricanes Otis (2023) and Patricia (2015) as one of the three fastest-strengthening Pacific cyclones on record.
The system formed as Tropical Depression Seventeen-E on Sunday afternoon south of Punta San Telmo, Michoacán. It became Tropical Storm Polo by Sunday night and reached Category 1 hurricane status by Monday afternoon, confirmed by President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“Polo se colocó entre los tres ciclones que más rápido se han intensificado en el Pacífico.”
Polo then skipped Category 3 entirely, jumping from Category 2 to Category 4 within three hours late Monday. By 00:00 Tuesday, sustained winds hit 215 km/h with gusts to 260 km/h. Six hours later, winds reached 260 km/h sustained and 315 km/h gusts, marking Category 5 intensity.
Authorities in Guerrero suspended classes for Tuesday in Costa Grande, Costa Chica, and Acapulco. The Navy closed the port of Acapulco to small vessels. Mexico City's airport advised travelers to monitor flights to affected Pacific regions.
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) continues real-time monitoring. Forecasts project the hurricane tracking near the coasts of Guerrero, Michoacán, and Colima, bringing intense rains for the next 72 hours.
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