official data (NOAA / NHC Public Advisory 14 + Discussion 14, 0300 UTC 24 Sep 2026) · delta vs boarded Intermediate Adv 12A Cat-4 card
Hurricane Polo is Category 5 again — 160 mph, still offshore SW Mexico
NOAA’s National Hurricane Center Advisory 14 at 0300 UTC on September 24 restamped Hurricane Polo as an extremely dangerous Category 5 with 160 mph sustained winds and 923 mb pressure — intensity set at 140 kt after an eyewall replacement cycle — after Wednesday’s Intermediate Advisory 12A had carried the storm as Category 4 at 145 mph, while the core remains forecast offshore of southwestern Mexico with life-threatening flood and mudslide risk on the coast.
Key facts
- Live stamp (Adv 14, 0300 UTC Thu Sep 24)
- Cat 5 · 160 mph (260 km/h) · 923 mb · 16.0N 102.4W · ~130 mi SSW Zihuatanejo · NW 6 mph
- Discussion 14 intensity
- 140 kt initial — “category 5 hurricane once again” after eyewall replacement cycle
- Delta vs boarded Adv 12A
- Wed Cat 4 · 145 mph · 931 mb · 15.6N 102.1W → overnight Cat 5 return
- Tue peak history (prior card)
- Adv 9 · Cat 5 · 180 mph · 892 mb — remains peak stamp; not restated as live
- Watches/warnings
- TS Warning extended west of Punta San Telmo to Manzanillo; TS Watch west of Manzanillo to Playa Perula
- Rainfall hazard
- 4–6 in coastal Guerrero (isolated 8); 2–4 in Michoacán/Colima/Jalisco — life-threatening flooding/mudslides
- Track
- Core expected offshore of SW Mexico through Thursday morning then farther to sea (NHC)
- NOT a new 180 mph peak
- Live stamp is 160 mph Cat 5 return — Tuesday 180 mph stays history on prior card
- Live later
- Next intermediate / complete advisory / track change / flood reports → HUD — no invented landfall or death toll
Polo is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
NHC Public Advisory Number 14 · 0300 UTC Thu Sep 24 2026
Note
National Hurricane Center Advisory 14, issued for 0300 UTC on September 24, put Category 5 back on Hurricane Polo. Sustained winds 160 mph, pressure 923 millibars, center near 16.0 north, 102.4 west — about 130 miles south-southwest of Zihuatanejo — moving northwest at 6 mph. The bulletin calls it an extremely dangerous Category 5 still expected to remain a powerful major hurricane for the next few days, with the core forecast to stay offshore of southwestern Mexico through Thursday morning.
Discussion 14 says the satellite presentation significantly strengthened after an eyewall replacement cycle and sets intensity at 140 knots — a category 5 hurricane once again. That is the overnight delta from Wednesday’s Intermediate Advisory 12A, which had Polo as Category 4 at 145 mph. Mexico extended the tropical storm warning west to Manzanillo. Rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches, isolated 8, still threaten life-threatening flooding and mudslides in coastal Guerrero. Tuesday’s 180 mph peak stays history on the prior card. Next advisories and any track change stay on the HUD.
Why it matters
The Wednesday Cat-4 step-down did not hold. After an eyewall cycle, NHC put Category 5 back on the overnight stamp — still offshore on the official track, with the rain bands still the land threat. Intensity history, not a carnival landfall call.
Sources
- NOAA National Hurricane Center
- NHC Discussion 14
- NHC live Public (TCPEP2)
- NHC EP172026 archive
- Prior boarded Adv 12A card
Primary + secondary attribution as listed. Live values go to the HUD / source product.