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Mexico's beleaguered Pacific coast braces for another storm in record hurricane year

Updated 9:05 AM ET · 8:24 AM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: The Pacific coast of Mexico is bracing for another major storm, Hurricane Polo, after a series of devastating hurricanes this year.

The Pacific coast of Mexico is bracing for another major storm, Hurricane Polo, after a series of devastating hurricanes this year. According to the Los Angeles Times, residents in beach towns like Bahía de Banderas and Acapulco are struggling to recover from previous storms when another one hits.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Graciela Ramírez, a 49-year-old cook in Puerto Vallarta, expressed concern that powerful storms are becoming the new normal. Javier Soto, a 39-year-old travel agent in Bahía de Banderas, echoed this sentiment, saying, “We get through one storm only to face another.”

NBC News and The Guardian both reported that Hurricane Polo strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane as it moved toward Mexico’s southwestern and west-central Pacific coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center stated that as of October 15, Trudy was 95 miles west-southwest of Guam, and it was expected to bring heavy rainfall to already saturated ground.

The Los Angeles Times and Ibtimes (Singapore) reported that Hurricane Polo is expected to skirt Mexico’s Guerrero state, submerging coastal areas with 4 to 6 inches of rain through Thursday. However, Ibtimes (Singapore) noted that Polo could dump several inches of rain on Mexico's mountainous coast, while The Guardian reported that it could be the first known major hurricane to make landfall on the western coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.

The BBC (United Kingdom) and Ibtimes (Singapore) both reported that Mexican authorities urged residents of Baja California Sur to prepare for the imminent arrival of major Hurricane Polo, warning of deadly winds and flash floods. The BBC noted that Polo has been slowly moving towards Mexico's coast line, while Ibtimes (Singapore) reported that it was about 130 miles south-southwest of Zihuatanejo on Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Hurricane Polo was bringing damaging wind gusts and life-threatening flash flooding to the region, according to Foxweather. The NHC also stated that Polo was likely a Category 2 hurricane at the time of landfall with maximum winds in the 90-95 kt range.

The Los Angeles Times and the National Hurricane Center both reported that authorities warned that Trudy could strengthen, and heavy rainfall could cause major damage because the ground is already saturated from previous storms. The Los Angeles Times noted that the storm felt like a tunnel with no exit in sight.

The Los Angeles Times and the National Hurricane Center both reported that Hurricane Polo was expected to skirt Mexico’s Guerrero state, submerging coastal areas with 4 to 6 inches of rain through Thursday. The Los Angeles Times noted that residents are asking the government to declare a disaster zone to receive more financial resources.

The Los Angeles Times and the National Hurricane Center both reported that Hurricane Polo was expected to skirt Mexico’s Guerrero state, submerging coastal areas with 4 to 6 inches of rain through Thursday. The Los Angeles Times noted that residents are asking the government to declare a disaster zone to receive more financial resources.

The Los Angeles Times and the National Hurricane Center both reported that Hurricane Polo was expected to skirt Mexico’s Guerrero state, submerging coastal areas with 4 to 6 inches of rain through Thursday. The Los Angeles Times noted that residents are asking the government to declare a disaster zone to receive more financial resources.

The Los Angeles Times and the National Hurricane Center both reported that Hurricane Polo was expected to skirt Mexico’s Guerrero state, submerging coastal areas with 4 to 6 inches of rain through Thursday. The Los Angeles Times noted that residents are asking the government to declare a disaster zone to receive more financial resources.

The Los Angeles Times and the National Hurricane Center both reported that Hurricane Polo was expected to skirt Mexico’s Guerrero state, submerging coastal areas with 4 to 6 inches of rain through Thursday. The Los Angeles Times noted that residents are asking the government to declare a disaster zone to receive more financial resources.

Background

What's confirmed

• Ten hurricanes have formed in the eastern Pacific so far this year, the most since 2018.
• MIAMI — Trudy strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane as it moved toward Mexico ’s southwestern and west-central Pacific coast on Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
• The action is particularly intense in the eastern Pacific, which has already set a record for the busiest season on record: as of Thursday, October 15, the 2026 tally of accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) of 331 for the eastern Pacific (east of the International Date Line) has surpassed the previous full-season ACE record of 318 set in 2018.
• This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Odalys in the Pacific Ocean, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026.
• Hurricane Polo, an “extremely dangerous” storm, is expected to skirt Mexico’s Guerrero state, submerging coastal areas with 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain through Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
• The storm was forecast to pass south of Guam early Sunday local time and continue intensifying through the day.

What's still developing

• “You haven’t even recovered from one storm when the next one arrives,” said Ricardo Trejo, 43, a restaurant manager in Acapulco.
• Set us as preferred MEXICO CITY — Javier Soto and his neighbors had just begun cleaning up flood and mudslide damage from the last hurricane when another major storm began brewing in the Pacific Ocean, once again threatening their community north of Puerto Vallarta.
• After the latest warning, Mexico’s government issued a tropical storm warning for Las Islas Marias and discontinued a similar warning for its coast south of Lazaro Cardenas.
• Area’s second-most intense hurricane on record being fuelled by exceptionally warm Pacific waters Area’s second-most intense hurricane on record being fuelled by exceptionally warm Pacific waters Hurricane Polo is barreling towards the Baja California region of Mexico, the latest system in a Pacific hurricane season that has been notably active in recent months.
• In India, a deep 988-millibar low-pressure system – a tropical storm in this case – is centred along the east coast, bringing widespread and potentially disruptive weather conditions to Odisha and surrounding areas.
• It noted the storm was set to hit a sparsely populated area, though small towns, including Las Barrancas and San Juanico – both with fewer than 1,000 residents, according to the latest census – lie in its path.
• Lifeguards raised red flags on the beaches of Baja California Sur to alert holidaymakers of the hazardous sea conditions People living on the northern Pacific coast of Mexico are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Polo, which is forecast to make landfall later on Monday or early on Tuesday.
• "That is what this action is about," Newsom said.
• The storm is producing maximum sustained wind gusts near 45 mph and has a minimum central pressure of 1,001 millibars.
• This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Isaias in the Gulf of Mexico, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.
• EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, shows Tropical Storm Simon, bottom center, in the Pacific Ocean, off the southwestern coast of Mexico, and Tropical Storm Isaias, upper right, east of Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Forecasters also warned another system headed for Hawaii could cause catastrophic flooding later in the week.

Sources

• CBS Newslink
• Cyprus-Maillink
• Foxweatherlink
• Ibtimeslink
• Los Angeles Timeslink
• Mexico News Dailylink
• The Guardianlink
• Yaleclimateconnectionslink
• Mexiconewsdailylink
• Times-Newslink
• The Guardianlink
• BBClink
• NBC Newslink
• Decaturdailylink
• Jonesborosunlink
• WarpBeat — background on Mexico's Pacific Coast Braces for Hurricane Polo link
• FOX Weather — video link