Hurricane Polo is ‘one of the strongest storms ever’ and is churning off Mexico’s Pacific coast

MEXICO CITY — 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.

Polo was an “extremely dangerous” storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (265 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Tuesday night.

Polo was nearly stationary early Wednesday about 200 miles (325 kilometers) 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.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said experts indicated that the hurricane was not likely to touch land. Still, hurricane-force winds extend up to 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the storm’s center and tropical storm-force winds up to 105 miles (169 kilometers) from the eye, the U.S. center said.

Tropical storm conditions were expected along the Pacific coast in Guerrero, Michoacan and Colima states Wednesday into Thursday.

The hurricane set residents along Mexico’s Pacific coast on edge once again after being walloped by a number of powerful cyclones in recent years. Beaches emptied and dark clouds swirled above choppy seas, while Mexican authorities temporarily suspended classes Tuesday…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business