Track path of eye-popping Category 5 Hurricane Polo as it strengthens - USA Today
Hurricane Polo has regained its strength to a Category 5 storm and is moving away from Mexico's western coast, but is forecast to make a turn and make landfall in Baja California Sur and then mainland Mexico next week.
According to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center, Polo is about 280 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds around 180 mph with higher gusts.
Forecasters said Polo is moving west at around 12 mph, with this motion expected to continue through Friday, followed by a gradual turn to the northwest Saturday and north on Sunday. On Monday, Polo is expected to turn toward the northeast and approach Baja California Sur.
Swells generated by Polo will affect portions of the coast of southwestern Mexico during the next couple of days, forecasters said, and will then spread northward along the coast of west-central Mexico and toward Baja California Sur on Friday and into the weekend. The swells will likely cause life-threatening surf, rip currents and coastal flooding.
The hurricane center said Polo's intensity could fluctuate over the next 12-24 hours, with weakening beginning by Saturday. Moisture from Polo, however, could have impacts all the way in the southwestern United States, according to forecasters.
The moisture from the hurricane "may indirectly contribute to a heavy rainfall and flash flood threat in the region," the hurricane center said.
The exact location of the rain will depend on the storm's track, according to AccuWeather, but parts of Texas and New Mexico may feel the impacts next week. At the same time, a non-tropical storm moving across the western United States may interact with the hurricane's moisture, increasing the threat, the outlet reported.
"Depending on Polo’s track and how much of the storm remains intact, heavy rain could extend from Texas’ Big Bend region northeastward into central and eastern Oklahoma," AccuWeather reported. "Parts of the Texas Hill Country and areas farther east could also be affected."
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@usatoday.com.
