Category 5 hurricane Polo is 'one of the strongest storms ever'

This photo provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Polo intensifying in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. NOAA via AP hide caption

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.

Climate El Niño is here, so what does it mean? Polo was an "extremely dangerous" storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (265 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Tuesday night.

Polo was centered 210 miles (338 kilometers) south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and nearly stationary over the Pacific Ocean. The hurricane center said Polo was expected to start a slow but sharp turn northwest during the night and then travel in a generally west-northwestward direction over the next several days.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said experts indicated that the hurricane was not likely to touch land. Still, the NHC said hurricane-force winds are happening up to 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the storm's center and tropical storm-force winds up to 105 miles (169 kilometers) away.

The hurricane set residents along Mexico's Pacific coast on edge once again after being walloped by powerful cyclones a number of times in recent years. Beaches emptied out and dark clouds swirled above choppy seas, while Mexican authorities temporarily suspended classes Tuesday in a number of areas. Mexico's navy shut down ports in the states of Guerrero and Michoacán and warned civilians and fishermen to take care.

Concepción López Villegas was busily preparing her seaside restaurant for what may come. Strong waves were already lapping at the coastline of her city Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán. As men and children watched the stirring waters behind her, López Villegas said she feared powerful waves would destroy the small business she has worked decades to build.

"We're worried and trying to protect our businesses," López Villegas said. "And of course, we're sad because it's our heritage, our legacy that from one moment to another could be destroyed."

National Hurricane Center data shows that Polo has reached speeds comparable to only a few hurricanes to form in the region in recent decades, primarily Hurricane Patricia, which reached 215 mph (346 kph) in 2015.

"This is one of the strongest storms ever in the (Pacific) Basin," said Kristen L. Corbosiero, professor at the University at Albany's Department of Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences.

The NHC warned that tropical storm conditions were expected along the Pacific coast in Guerrero, Michoacan and Colima states.

Heavy rain could produce flash flooding and mudslides. About 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) of rain was forecast for Guerrero and Michoacán states, with smaller amounts possible for coastal portions of Oaxaca, Colima and Jalisco states.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a weather alert, instructing citizens to avoid water and beaches and to heed warnings from Mexican authorities.

"Even if the storm does not make direct landfall, heavy rain may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides.