Tropical Storm Polo to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane

MIAMI (AP) – Tropical Storm Polo will rapidly intensify in the Pacific Ocean and become a major hurricane afterwards this week, forecasters stated Monday.

What happened

Polo could bring heavy rain, rough surf and tropical-storm-force wind to parts of Mexico late Tuesday into early Wednesday, according to an advisory from the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

Meteorologists predicted Monday that Polo would drop 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain, with isolated totals near 12 inches (30 centimeters), throughout coastal portions of the Mexican states of Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco through Thursday. Flooding and mudslides were feasible.

Still a tropical storm as of Monday, Polo had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph). It was centered regarding 240 miles (386 kilometers) south of Manzanillo, Mexico, and 200 miles (322 kilometers) southwest of Zihuatanejo. The system was moving northeast at 5 mph (8 kph).

The bottom line

For now, tropical Storm Polo to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.