Tropical Storm Polo is forecast to become a hurricane off Mexico’s Pacific Coast on Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, just days after a severe storm battered the Baja California peninsula.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Polo was about 260 miles (418 km) south of Mexico’s beach resort of Acapulco and moving in a northwesterly direction at 12 miles per hour (19 km per hour), the NHC said.
It added that the storm had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, with some strengthening expected as it moves almost parallel along the southwestern coast of Mexico through Thursday.
Tropical Storm Odile, which on Monday trapped thousands and smashed shops open to looters in Baja California, was located 150 miles south of Puerto Penasco in the northwest state of Sonora.
It was moving north at 7 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was expected to weaken rapidly as it moves inland over mainland Mexico on Wednesday afternoon.
At least 26,000 foreign tourists and 4,000 Mexican tourists were estimated to be in the Baja California region, officials said on Monday.
The first evacuation plane, carrying 137 tourists from Los Cabos, reached Mazatlán on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said.
(Reporting by Christine Murray; editing by Bernard Orr and G Crosse)
Current Advisory at time of story:
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
——————–
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* SOUTHWEST COAST OF MEXICO FROM ZIHUATANEJO TO CABO CORRIENTES
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA…IN THIS CASE WITHIN 24 HOURS.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA…PLEASE MONITOR
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.
DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
——————————
AT 500 PM PDT…0000 UTC…THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM POLO WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 13.4 NORTH…LONGITUDE 100.7 WEST. POLO IS
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH…19 KM/H…AND THIS MOTION
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK…
THE CORE OF POLO WILL MOVE PARALLEL TO THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF MEXICO
THROUGH THURSDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 45 MPH…75 KM/H…WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS…
AND POLO IS FORECAST TO BECOME A HURRICANE ON THURSDAY.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70 MILES…110 KM
FROM THE CENTER.
THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1002 MB…29.59 INCHES.
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
———————-
WIND…TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA
BEGINNING ON WEDNESDAY.
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