Hurricane Polo explodes into one of Pacific’s strongest hurricanes ever
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is monitoring four areas of tropical activity across the Pacific, including Hurricane Polo, which has exploded into one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the basin.
Polo becomes one of the strongest hurricanes ever observed in the Pacific
🌀 HISTORY MADE: Category 5 monster Hurricane Polo continues to churn after becoming one of the strongest hurricanes ever observed in the Pacific.
Hurricane Polo rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after becoming a hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is now monitoring four areas of tropical activity across the Pacific, including Polo, which has exploded into one of the strongest hurricanes the Pacific has ever seen.
Satellite imagery of Hurricane Polo on Sep. 22, 2026.
(CIRA / FOX Weather)
The storm is currently about 210 miles south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and is nearly stationary, with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph, according to the NHC.
LATEST FROM FOX WEATHER HURRICANE SPECIALIST BRYAN NORCROSS
Polo underwent extreme rapid intensification, with its maximum sustained winds increasing by 110 mph in just 24 hours. The rate of intensification is among the fastest ever observed in the Eastern Pacific.
The last hurricane to intensify at a comparable rate was Hurricane Otis in 2023, which devastated Acapulco, Mexico.
(FOX Weather)
With peak winds of 180 mph, Polo is tied with Hurricane Rick from 2009 for the third-highest winds ever recorded in the Pacific, trailing only Patricia’s 215 mph winds in 2015 and Linda’s 185 mph winds in 1997.
According to the latest advisory, Polo’s maximum sustained winds are near 175 mph, with higher gusts.
(FOX Weather)
WHAT ARE TROPICAL STORM WATCHES AND WARNINGS?
Top 10 strongest by winds:
Patricia – 215 mph
Linda – 185 mph
Rick – 180 mph
Polo – 180 mph
John – 175 mph
Patsy – 175 mph
Kenna – 165 mph
Otis – 165 mph
On top of its wind speeds, Hurricane Polo’s central pressure plunged to 892 millibars, making it the second-lowest pressure ever observed in the Pacific, behind only Hurricane Patricia.
Top Pacific hurricanes by pressure.
(FOX Weather)
Since 1950, 1,088 hurricanes have been documented, but only nine have recorded pressures below 900 millibars, placing Polo among the most intense storms on record.
Top 10 deepest by pressure:
Patricia – 872 mb
Polo – 892 mb
Linda – 902 mb
Rick – 906 mb
Kenna – 913 mb
Ava – 915 mb
Ioke – 915 mb
Marie – 918 mb
Guillermo – 919 mb
Gilma – 920 mb
Satellite imagery of Hurricane Polo.
(CIRA / FOX Weather)
Polo is also tied for the fourth-highest wind speed ever recorded for any hurricane worldwide.
While Polo is not expected to make landfall anywhere near the U.S., moisture from the hurricane is already impacting the Southwest and is enhancing monsoon thunderstorms over New Mexico.
Polo is also now the third Category 5 hurricane in the Eastern and Central Pacific this season, joining Genevieve and Lowell, which made a direct hit on Hawaii last month.
The last time the Central and Eastern Pacific produced three Category 5 hurricanes was in 2018.
Stay with FOX Weather for the latest.