Where is Hurricane Polo headed? See path tracker, spaghetti models - USA Today

The outer bands of Hurricane Polo are beginning to reach the southwestern coast of Mexico, where it is expected to remain for the next day or two, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The powerful Category 4 storm was located about 185 miles south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds around 155 mph and higher gusts as of early Wednesday morning, Sept. 23, according to the hurricane center.

Forecasters said Polo is expected to take a sharp turn toward the northwest later Wednesday, followed by a general west-northwestward motion later this week and over the weekend.

"The core of Polo is expected to be near the coast of southwestern Mexico during the next day or two, although it is forecast to remain offshore," hurricane forecasters said in the latest advisory. Forecasters noted fluctuations in intensity are expected, but Polo is expected to remain a "very powerful major hurricane" during the next few days.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a weather alert on Sept. 22 warning citizens to avoid entering the water or walking on beaches during dangerous conditions. The embassy said Polo will cause "heavy rainfall and hazardous ocean conditions along the southwestern coast of Mexico from Tuesday through Thursday" and that Polo is expected to approach the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula on Saturday, Sept. 26, or Sunday, Sept. 27.

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

The hurricane center said Polo is expected to produce rainfall totals of 3-6 inches, with isolated maximum totals up to 8 inches, across coastal portions of the Mexican states of Guerrero and Michoacán through Thursday, Sept. 24, with rainfall totals of 2-4 inches possible in coastal portions of Oaxaca, Colima and Jalisco.

Swells generated by Polo are expected to affect portions of the coast of southwestern Mexico during the next few days, with the swells likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions, forecasters said.

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.