Tropical Storm Polo turns into category 5 monster hurricane off south-west coast of Mexico

Hurricane Polo over the Pacific Ocean near Mexico on 21 September 2026./Getty Images Hurricane Polo over the Pacific Ocean near Mexico on 21 September 2026./Getty Images Hurricanes Hurricane Polo, rapidly intensifying from strong El Niño patterns, rages off coast of Mexico Polo, with sustained winds of 165mph, is churning 215 miles south of Zihuatanejo but is unlikely to directly hit Mexico

Prefer the Guardian on Google A tropical storm off the south-west coast of Mexico has intensified into a category 5 monster in fewer than 24 hours, fueled by stronger than usual El Niño weather patterns in the Pacific Ocean.

Hurricane Polo was sending out maximum sustained winds of 165mph (266km/h) on Tuesday as its center churned about 215 miles (346km) south of the coastal city of Zihuatanejo, in Guerrero state.