Hurricanes Polo and Odalys were spinning over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean on Thursday evening.

At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Hurricane Polo was located at latitude 17.1°N and longitude 106.5°W which put the center about 195 miles (315 km) southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.  Polo was moving toward the west-northwest at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 150 m.p.h. (240 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 180 m.p.h. (290 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 935 mb.

Hurricane Polo weakened slightly on Thursday but Polo was still a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.  A circular eye with a diameter of 23 miles (27 km) was at the center of Polo’s circulation.  The eye was surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the center of Hurricane Polo.  Storms near the center of Polo generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the hurricane.  The removal of mass in the upper levels was a little less than the convergence of mass in the lower levels of the atmosphere. So, the surface pressure increased on Thursday.

The circulation around Hurricane Polo was very symmetrical. Winds to hurricane force extended out 40 miles (65 km) from the center of Polo’s circulation.  Winds to tropical storm force extended out 125 miles (200 km) from the center of Hurricane Polo.

The Hurricane Intensify Index (HII) for Hurricane Polo is 31.6.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) is 14.6 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) is 46.2.  Hurricane Polo is similar in size and intensity to Hurricane Laura when Laura hit Southwest Louisiana in 2020.

Hurricane Polo will move through an environment that will be favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Polo will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 30°C.  It will move under the middle of an upper level ridge that is southwest of Mexico. The upper level winds are weak in the middle of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear.  Hurricane Polo could intensify back to Category 5 on Friday.

Hurricane Polo will move around the western part of a high pressure system that is over Mexico.  The high pressure system will steer Polo toward the northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Hurricane Polo will move south of Baja California on Friday.  Polo could reach southern Baja California on Monday.

Hurricane Polo could bring strong winds and heavy rain to southern Baja California early next week.  Heavy rain is likely to cause flash floods in some locations.

Elsewhere over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Odalys intensified to Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Hurricane Odalys was located at latitude 17.1°N and longitude 124.2°W which put the center about 1010 miles (1625 km) west-southwest of the the southern tip of Baja California.  Odalys was moving toward the east-northeast at 8 m.p.h. (13 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 110 m.p.h. (175 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 130 m.p.h. (210 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 966 mb.