Explosive Intensification for Hurricane Polo

Several ingredients came together off the Pacific coast of Mexico to generate one of the strongest storms the eastern Pacific basin has ever seen. Explosive Intensification for Hurricane Polo. NASA Earth Observatory Sep 25, 2026 Article View more Images of the Day: Sep 24, 2026 Instruments: Aqua — MODIS Model Topics: Cyclones Ocean Temperature modis mur sst NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison modis mur sst NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison modis mur sst Curtain Toggle 2-Up Image Details After rapidly intensifying, Hurricane Polo spins off Mexico’s Pacific coast on September 23, 2026 (left), over unusually warm waters (right).

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using data from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite and the MUR SST (Multiscale Ultrahigh Resolution Sea Surface Temperature) project. In mid-September 2026, Hurricane Polo began as a tropical disturbance off the Pacific coast of Mexico. By September 20, it was organized enough to qualify as a tropical depression, and by the next day it was a tropical storm.

From there, Polo launched into a period of rapid intensification that left meteorologists searching for adjectives strong enough to convey what was happening. Some described the storm’s rate of intensification and strength as "jaw-dropping," others as "astonishing," and others as "absolute insanity." "Polo went through a period of what can only be described as explosively rapid intensification," said Gary Partyka, an atmospheric scientist with the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, in an email. "This was RAPID, rapid intensification." The storm was in an environment that was "near perfect" for strengthening, Partyka said, characterized by weak wind shear, high moisture, warmer ocean temperatures, and high levels of atmospheric instability.

Several observers leaned on extreme rapid intensification —a technical classification meaning the storm’s wind speeds increased at least 60 knots (111 kilometers or 69 miles per hour) within a 24-hour period.