Tropical Storm Polo Could Become a Major Pacific Hurricane This Week

MIAMI – Tropical Storm Polo is expected to strengthen quickly over the Pacific and reach major hurricane status later this week, forecasters said Monday.

The storm could bring torrential rain, dangerous surf and tropical-storm-force winds to parts of Mexico from late Tuesday through early Wednesday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

Forecasts issued Monday called for 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain across coastal areas of Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco through Thursday. Some locations could receive as much as 12 inches (30 centimeters), raising the threat of flooding and mudslides.

Polo remained a tropical storm Monday, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph). The storm was positioned roughly 240 miles (386 kilometers) south of Manzanillo and 200 miles (322 kilometers) southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It was moving northeast at about 5 mph (8 kph).

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Odalys was tracking across the central Pacific, well away from land. Forecasters expected it to strengthen into a hurricane by the middle of the week.

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Odalys had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph) on Monday and was located nearly 1,400 miles (2,253 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. The storm was moving northwest at 13 mph (21 kph).

In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Fay was losing strength. Its maximum winds were estimated at 65 mph (105 kph), and the storm was about 405 miles (652 kilometers) southwest of the Azores.

The Atlantic has yet to produce a hurricane this year, marking a record delay in the start of the season’s first hurricane. Forecasters said El Niño’s influence has been suppressing storms before they can fully develop.