Mexico has started closing a handful of its Pacific ports, as it braces for the impacts of a powerful hurricane forming off the country's southwestern coast.
According to Reuters, Mexico's Navy said on September 23 that ports were closed to all vessels in Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, and to smaller vessels for ports in Manzanillo, Lazaro Cardenas and Puerto Escondido. This comes as Hurricane Polo continues to develop off of Mexico's Pacific coast, with sustained winds of up to 155 miles an hour.
Although Polo isn't expected to make landfall, the storm is still expected to skirt Mexico's coastline, with the U.S. National Hurricane Center predicting up to six inches of rain for some areas. That could also significantly raise the risk of strong waves, flooding and deadly mudslides.
Polo was originally tracked as one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, starting out as a Category 5 with winds of up to 180 miles an hour. Although the hurricane has since been downgraded to a Category 4, forecasters warn that it will likely remain close to Category 5 strength (defined as any storm with sustained winds over 157 miles an hour) for days.
