LOS ANGELES, CA — A strengthening Pacific hurricane off Mexico’s coast is raising concern along the Southern California shoreline, where forecasters say the storm could add to already stressed coastal conditions. While Hurricane Polo is expected to remain offshore, its moisture and swells may still reach the region in the days ahead.
The National Hurricane Center said Polo is still intensifying and should remain extremely dangerous for the next several days. Forecasters said the system is moving northwest and may strengthen further because of warm water, light wind and plentiful moisture over the eastern Pacific.
Hurricane Polo reaches Category 5 strength off Mexico
The National Hurricane Center said Polo had become a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 180 mph. The agency described the system as rapidly intensifying and said conditions around the storm remain highly favorable for additional strengthening.
That environment includes very warm ocean water, low wind shear and abundant atmospheric moisture. The center said those factors make it possible for Polo to gain even more strength as it continues moving northwestward. Forecasters expect the storm to stay over open water rather than make landfall in the United States.
Southwestern Mexico faces the most immediate danger
The most serious impacts are expected across coastal portions of southwestern Mexico through Thursday. The National Hurricane Center has posted tropical storm warnings for parts of the region as the hurricane continues offshore.
Even without a direct landfall, officials warned that heavy rain could trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep terrain. The warning reflects the threat from rain bands and storm-driven moisture reaching the coast while the core of the hurricane remains at sea.
Southern California could see moisture, surf and rip currents
Forecasters say Southern California will not see the same direct impacts, but the storm could still influence weather along the coast. Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said the hurricane could pull tropical moisture northward depending on atmospheric patterns.
Lewis said there was only a 5% chance of rain in Los Angeles County on Tuesday afternoon, but he pointed to a larger concern: high surf and high tides arriving next Monday and Tuesday. Those conditions could create a risk of coastal flooding, especially in vulnerable areas.
NWS warns of elevated surf through the weekend and into next week
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said Wednesday afternoon that beaches could see elevated surf and strong rip currents this weekend and into next week. The agency said the conditions are tied to multiple southerly swells moving through the area.
Lewis said repeated southern swells have already kept pressure on exposed shorelines all summer. He added that some vulnerable coastal stretches could have problems as those waves line up with high tides, increasing the chance of localized flooding near the waterline.
A year of active eastern Pacific storms has already eroded beaches
Polo is the 16th named storm to form in the eastern Pacific this year, underscoring how active the basin has been. Southern California communities have already dealt with the effects of powerful Pacific systems that pushed unusually large surf toward the coast.
Laguna Beach, Dana Point and Carlsbad have each declared local emergencies this year because of coastal erosion and sand loss tied to high surf. Those local declarations show how repeated tropical swells have already affected beaches, bluffs and public access points in parts of the region.
El Niño adds to concern over winter surf and storms
Forecasters also tied the broader outlook to El Niño, a climate pattern that often brings an active eastern Pacific hurricane season and heavier winter rain to Southern California. Officials say this El Niño is expected to be the strongest in at least a generation.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already declared a statewide emergency ahead of winter storms, citing the threat of high surf and severe weather. For now, Polo’s main impact for Southern California is expected to come from surf, tides and rip currents rather than direct hurricane conditions.
