Hurricane Polo rapidly intensified to Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale early on Tuesday as it moved over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean south of Mexico. At 8:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Hurricane Polo was located at latitude 14.5°N and longitude 101.5°W which put the center about 360 miles (580 km) south-southeast of Manzanillo, Mexico. Polo was moving toward the east at 6 m.p.h. (10 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 160 m.p.h. (260 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 190 m.p.h. (305 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 926 mb.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the portion of the coast from Tecpan de Galeana to Manzanillo, Mexico.
Hurricane Polo rapidly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale on Tuesday morning. A small circular eye with a diameter of 12 miles (19 km) was at the center of Polo’ circulation. A ring of thunderstorms surrounded the eye 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 strong upper level divergence that pumped large quantities of mass away from the hurricane. The removal of large amounts of mass caused the surface pressure to decrease rapidly.
The circulation around Hurricane Polo was small. Winds to hurricane force extended out 30 miles (50 km) from the center of Polo’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 90 miles (145 km) from the center of Hurricane Polo.
The Hurricane Intensify Index (HII) for Hurricane Polo is 35.0. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) is 12.5 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) is 47.5. Hurricane Polo is similar in size and intensity to Hurricane Andrew when Andrew hit south Florida in 1992.
Hurricane Polo will move through an environment that will be very 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 south of Mexico. The upper level winds are weak in the middle of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear. Hurricane Polo is likely to continue to intensify during the next few hours. At some point the inner end of a rainband is likely to wrap around the existing eye and eyewall. An eyewall replacement cycle would cause Polo to weaken, at least temporarily.
Hurricane Polo will move around the northern side of a high pressure system that is over the equatorial Eastern Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Polo slowly toward the east during the next few hours. A bigger and strong high pressure system is forecast to develop over Mexico later on Tuesday. The bigger and strong high pressure system will steer Hurricane Polo toward the northwest after it develops. On its anticipated track, Hurricane Polo will move closer to the coast of southwest Mexico. The strongest part of Hurricane Polo is forecast to pass west of the coast of Mexico as of the most recent forecasts.
Elsewhere over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Odalys strengthened far to the southwest of Baja California. At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday the center of Tropical Storm Odalys was located at latitude 14.7°N and longitude 130.4°W which put the center about 1455 miles (2340 km) west-southwest of the the southern tip of Baja California. Odalys was moving toward the north-northwest at 7 m.p.h. (11 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 998 mb.