Hurricane Polo grows into powerful Category 5 storm off Mexico’s Pacific coast. See its path.

Updated on: September 22, 2026 / 6:23 PM EDT / CBS News

Hurricane Polo rapidly intensified in the Pacific as it continued on its path off the coast of southwestern Mexico on Tuesday, growing into a powerful Category 5 storm that could bring life-threatening flooding to parts of the states of Guerrero and Michoacán, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The hurricane center called Polo "extremely dangerous" as its maximum sustained winds climbed to 180 mph. The storm was expected to continue to strengthen Tuesday night and may fluctuate on Wednesday, forecasters said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Polo was located off the coast of Zihuatanejo, a coastal resort city in the Mexican state of Guerrero, and Manzanillo, another coastal city and resort destination in the state of Colima. It hurling hurricane-force winds outward up to 35 miles from its center, but was roughly stationary after inching northward along the Pacific Coast throughout the morning.

Polo was forecast to bring tropical storm conditions to parts of the coastline starting Wednesday morning. In some areas, heavy rainfall "may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," the hurricane center warned.

The storm remains far south of the Baja California…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/