From Category 1 to 5 in less than 24 hours: how Hurricane Polo intensified off the coast of Mexico

On Tuesday, Hurricane Polo reached Category 5, the maximum on the Saffir-Simpson scale, off the coast of the Mexican Pacific, following a rapid intensification that took it from Category 1 to 5 in less than 24 hours, reported the National Meteorological Service (SMN).

At 06:00 local time (12:00 GMT), the center of the cyclone was located over the Pacific Ocean, about 355 kilometers south of Zihuatanejo, in the state of Guerrero, and 580 kilometers south-southeast of Manzanillo, Colima.

Polo has maximum sustained winds of 260 kilometers per hour, gusts of up to 315 kilometers per hour, and is moving east at 9 kilometers per hour.

The phenomenon reached maximum intensity after rapidly strengthening over the last few hours. At noon on Monday, it was still a Category 1 hurricane, with sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour.

The SMN, part of the National Water Commission (Conagua), and the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) are maintaining a tropical storm watch zone from Tecpan de Galeana, Guerrero, to Manzanillo, Colima.

Polo's wide circulation will cause intense rainfall of between 75 and 150 millimeters in the coming hours in Colima and areas of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Oaxaca, in addition to very heavy rainfall, from 50 to 75 millimeters, in the south, southwest, and coast of Jalisco.

Wind gusts of between 60 and 80 kilometers per hour are also expected on the coasts of Michoacán and Guerrero, and up to 60 kilometers per hour in Jalisco and Colima.

The hurricane will also generate waves of between three and four meters on the coasts of Michoacán and Guerrero; two to three meters in Colima and Oaxaca; and up to 2.5 meters in Jalisco.

Authorities warned that the rainfall associated with the cyclone could cause landslides, an increase in the levels of rivers and streams, overflows, and flooding in low-lying areas, and therefore urged the population to follow the alerts from the SMN and the recommendations of Civil Protection.

Given the intensity of the hurricane, the governments of the states of Guerrero and Michoacán have suspended classes on September 22 and 23.

Meanwhile, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) has deployed 1,320 electrical workers, 331 cranes, 445 light vehicles, 1 communications vehicle, 82 emergency power plants, 68 lighting towers, and 1 helicopter to strategic points.