Hurricane Polo eyes restrengthening to Category 5 storm as it fuels ongoing flood threat in the Southwest
Polo is now shifting north and west off the coast of Mexico and will continue its trek westward over the next couple of days before pulling farther northwest Thursday night into Friday and making landfall in Baja California, Mexico late Monday.
Powerful Hurricane Polo set to bring heavy moisture to Southwest and Mexico
Hurricane Polo is still a major hurricane, after briefly dropping to a Category 4 storm and undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle and becoming a Category 5 once again. As the storm shifts west, it will make another turn to the east, making a landfall in Baja California, Mexico early next week as a hurricane.
THE TAKEAWAY
- Hurricane Polo became the second-strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Eastern Pacific Tuesday and is now a Category 4 storm.
- Tropical Storm Warnings and Watches are in effect for parts of southwestern Mexico.
- Hurricane Polo is forecast to make landfall in Baja California, Mexico on Monday night.
Hurricane Polo weakened to a Category 4 storm on Thursday afternoon as it churns through the East Pacific, forecast to make landfall in Mexico and fuel a renewed flooding threat in the Southwestern U.S. next week.
Tropical Storm Warnings and Watches are in effect for parts of southwestern Mexico. The exact location and severity of impacts will depend on how close Polo gets to the coast.
(FOX Weather)
Polo is now shifting north and west off the coast of Mexico and will continue its trek westward over the next couple of days before pulling farther northwest Thursday night into Friday and making landfall in Baja California, Mexico late Monday.
Polo underwent extreme rapid intensification into a monster Cat 5 hurricane earlier this week
Hurricane Polo — which is once again a Category 4 storm after weakening on Thursday morning— is currently meandering about 155 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and is moving west-northwest at 10 mph, with sustained winds of 150 mph, according to the NHC.
Top Pacific hurricanes by pressure.
(FOX Weather)
On Tuesday, Hurricane Polo underwent extreme rapid intensification, becoming a monster Category 5 storm. Its central pressure plunged to 892 millibars, making it the second-lowest pressure ever observed in the Eastern or Central Pacific.
The storm underwent an eyewall replacement cycle overnight Wednesday into Thursday, weakening to a Category 4 storm before intensifying to a Category 5 hurricane again on Thursday morning.
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.
HURRICANE POLO EXPLODES INTO ONE OF PACIFIC’S STRONGEST HURRICANES EVER
Polo’s explosive intensification is historic, too. Its maximum sustained winds increased by 110 mph in just 24 hours, marking the second-fastest rate of rapid intensification ever observed.
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.
Polo is also tied for the fourth-highest wind speed ever recorded for any hurricane worldwide after Hurricane Hunters flew into the powerful storm on Tuesday.
LATEST FROM FOX WEATHER HURRICANE SPECIALIST BRYAN NORCROSS
(FOX Weather)
Despite its strength, Polo is a smaller storm, with hurricane-force winds extending only 40 miles from its center and tropical-storm-force winds reaching just 125 miles away from the storm's center, according to the NHC.
The Mexican government has issued a Tropical Storm Warning from Tecpan De Galeana to Punta San Telmo and a Tropical Storm Watch from just west of Punta San Telmo to Playa Perula.
WHAT ARE TROPICAL STOPRM WATCHES AND WARNINGS?
(FOX Weather)
EL NIÑO JUST BROKE A HISTORIC TEMPERATURE RECORD — AND IT’S STILL INTENSIFYING
Polo was 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.
Good first flight into #Polo today. The pressure had fallen pretty quickly, but it looks like the core is still working out some kinks. Almost looks like an eyewall replacement cycle although it's a bit early in the process for that. Once the core is established I expect we'll… pic.twitter.com/aifNqNuh7Q
— Andy Hazelton (@AndyHazelton) September 21, 2026
Moisture from Polo is enhancing flash flooding across New Mexico
However, Polo's moisture is fueling a dangerous flood threat across the Southwest, just a week after flooding enhanced by a different tropical disturbance killed three people near Newcomb, New Mexico.
A Flash Flood Emergency has been issued in parts of New Mexico.
(FOX Weather)
According to the Mora County Sheriff's Office, heavy rainfall triggered flash flooding in portions of the Ledoux and Mora areas.
Officials urged residents and motorists to avoid unnecessary travel and be prepared to move to higher ground.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deployed a helicopter to rescue two motorists stranded in floodwater on Sept. 16.
(Goodyear Fire Department)
A Flash Flood Emergency was issued for portion of the Hermit's Creek/Calf-Canyon burn scar where over 3.5 inches of rain was reported in Mora County, New Mexico on Tuesday. afternoon.
Thunderstorms will once again fire in the afternoon Thursday, within this tropical air mass will produce tropical-intense downpours with rain rates reaching 1 to 3 inches per hour, driving rapid runoff, the FOX Forecast Center said.
THE HIGHEST-ELEVATION TORNADOES IN US HISTORY
A Level 2 out of 4 flash flood threat covers a large portion of New Mexico on Thursday, including Ruidoso and Las Cruces.
Southwest Rain Forecast.(FOX Weather)
Moisture from Hurricane Odalys could also impact the Southwest, but the moisture from Hurricane Polo will dominate.
Hurricane Odalys is a Category 1 storm and has sustained winds of 85 mph.
WHAT ARE KELVIN WAVES? EL NIÑO’S HIDDEN THREAT THAT COULD IMPACT SEVERAL STATES ON THE WEST COAST
Odalys is forecast to strengthen slightly through Friday, before weakening through the weekend, according to the NHC.
(FOX Weather)
The system is not expected to make landfall.
The NHC is now monitoring five areas of tropical activity across the Pacific, including hurricanes Polo, Odalys and Nolo.
This comes amid a rapidly strengthening El Niño which has supercharged the Pacific, producing 19 named storms across both the Central and Eastern parts of the basin with more than two months remaining in the hurricane season.
Check back for updates on this developing story.