Satellite Footage Shows Hurricane Polo’s Massive Eye Spinning At 145 MPH Off Mexico Coast

Satellite footage from CIRA shows Hurricane Polo’s compact eye and tightly wrapped cloud bands spinning over the eastern Pacific off southwestern Mexico on Wednesday, September 23.

Polo formed on September 20 before explosively intensifying from a tropical storm into a Category 5 hurricane by September 22.

A NOAA Hurricane Hunter flight measured peak winds of 180 mph and a central pressure of 892 millibars, making Polo the second-most intense eastern Pacific hurricane on record by pressure, behind only Hurricane Patricia in 2015.

By September 23, Polo had temporarily dropped below Category 5 strength, with winds near 145 mph by late that day, while remaining a major hurricane just offshore.

Outer rainbands reached the coasts of Guerrero and Michoacán, while tropical storm warnings covered parts of southwestern Mexico.

Forecasters expected Polo to remain offshore initially before later curving toward Baja California.