Polo brings flood risk to Mexico as it tracks offshore

Hurricane Polo brought heavy rain to Mexico’s Pacific coast as it tracked offshore Thursday, while the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that rain could still trigger life-threatening flooding and landslides. Forecasters expected the storm’s core and strongest winds to remain at sea, but its path and impacts were not settled. Polo was a Category 5 hurricane early Thursday, with maximum sustained winds reported at about 155 to 160 mph. The National Hurricane Center said the storm was near the coast of southwestern Mexico and moving northwest. Reports placed it at different distances from Zihuatanejo, so a single position cannot be established from the available information. The center forecast that Polo would skirt the coast over the next few days, with the strongest winds offshore. The main threats on land were expected along coastal Guerrero and Michoacán, where heavy rainfall could cause flooding and mudslides. The hurricane center also warned of dangerous conditions despite the forecast that Polo would not make a direct landfall. The supplied reports did not establish how much rain ultimately fell or whether flooding or damage occurred.