Climate change

Major Hurricane Polo Tracks Off Mexican Coast

Is this a climate-fueled concern or is this just more climate alarmism?

Published SEP 23

Major Hurricane Polo Tracks Off Mexican Coast

Story

Above: Hurricane Polo has intensified into a Category 5 storm near Mexico's Pacific coast. Image credit: Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Facts

Hurricane Polo has weakened to a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 kph), as reported by the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Forecasters expect fluctuations in intensity in the coming days, with many scientists linking this change to the record El Niño phenomenon.
The New York Times
New York Post
Polo was approximately 165 miles south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, on Wednesday, moving slowly north before a forecasted sharp turn to the northwest. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 40 miles from its center.
Mirror
New York Post
The storm gained Category 5 status on Tuesday with winds of 180 mph, tying it with Super Typhoons Bavi and Sinlaku as the strongest storm in the Northern Hemisphere this year.
Weather
Insurance Journal
Polo's winds rose by 110 mph in 24 hours, from a 50 mph tropical storm Monday to 160 mph Tuesday morning. The National Hurricane Center called the rapid intensification "truly remarkable" and among the fastest recorded in the Eastern Pacific.
The Washington Post
Fox Weather
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that Polo was not expected to make landfall, but urged residents along the Pacific coast to remain vigilant. The navy closed ports in Guerrero and Michoacán, and classes were suspended in several coastal areas on Tuesday.
NPR
Reuters
Forecasters estimated that Guerrero and Michoacán would receive 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 cm) of rain through Thursday, with isolated totals reaching 8 inches, while Oaxaca, Colima, and Jalisco could expect 2 to 4 inches. Life-threatening flooding and mudslides are possible in steep terrain.
ABC News
New York Post

Sources Split

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The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

Polo's Category 4 downgrade is no license for complacency. A historic storm can stay offshore and still unleash deadly floods, mudslides and surf across southwestern Mexico. The dangers of a climate-catalyzed El Niño continue to propagate.

Ben Noll on X

The Guardian

Climate-skeptic narrative

Polo is just another storm that is receiving viral attention in the climate change community. Preparedness should target the real threats without wallowing in tiresome climate alarmism about "climate-fueled Super El Niños" and other tropes.

Michael Shellenberger on X