Hurricane Polo grew into one of the most powerful Pacific cyclones in decades on Wednesday, and it was expected to skirt Mexico\u2019s southwestern coast as a Category 5 hurricane.<\/p>\n
Polo was an “extremely dangerous” storm with maximum sustained winds of 290km\/h the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said in an update from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft that was sent into the cyclone.<\/p>\n
It was the third Category 5 hurricane of the Pacific season, following Genevieve and Lowell earlier this year. Category 5 is the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, reflecting that a storm has maximum sustained winds exceeding 253km\/h. <\/p>\n
Polo was centred 338km south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and nearly stationary over the Pacific Ocean at midday. The hurricane centre update said Polo was expected to travel in a generally west-northwestward direction over the next several days.<\/p>\n
\u2018One of the strongest storms ever\u2019 in the Pacific<\/p>\n
The hurricane set residents of Mexico’s Pacific coast on edge once again after being walloped by powerful cyclones a number of times in recent years. Beaches emptied out and dark clouds swirled above choppy seas, while Mexican authorities temporarily suspended classes in a number of areas on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
National Hurricane Centre data shows that Polo has reached speeds comparable to only a few hurricanes to form in the region in recent decades, primarily Hurricane Patricia, which reached 346km\/h in 2015.<\/p>\n
“This is one of the strongest storms ever in the [Pacific] Basin,” said Kristen L. Corbosiero, professor at the University at Albany\u2019s Department of Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences.<\/p>\n
The US Embassy in Mexico issued a weather alert, instructing citizens to avoid water and beaches and to heed warnings from Mexican authorities.<\/p>\n
“Even if the storm does not make direct landfall, heavy rain may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Hazardous ocean conditions\u2014intensified by storms\u2014may result in deadly rip currents and rogue waves,” the embassy wrote in a statement.<\/p>\n
Rapid intensification of Polo fuelled by El Ni\u00f1o<\/p>\n
The rapid intensification of the storm has stunned scientists and authorities alike, with the NHC writing in a report that it was “truly remarkable” how quickly Polo gained strength in the past 24 hours.<\/p>\n
El Ni\u00f1o is expected to bring a warm, dry and windy spring \u2013 putting pressure on crops, pasture, and water supplies. (Source: Breakfast)<\/p>\n
Philip Klotzbach, research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, attributed the intensification to the weather phenomenon known as El Ni\u00f1o<\/a>, which has fuelled crippling droughts<\/a> in Mexico and Central America and floods in other parts of the region.<\/a><\/p>\n In the Pacific, it has resulted in warmer waters<\/a> and wind patterns that act as fodder for hurricanes, he said.<\/p>\n