Follow Hurricane Polo from its 922 mb Category 4 peak to its last advisory 125 miles southwest of El Paso
EndedHurricane Polo is no longer active. The last advisory, on Sep 30, placed its center about 125 miles southwest of El Paso, with winds near 35 mph, after it had weakened below hurricane strength. Our record of Polo begins Sep 26 in the Eastern Pacific. It peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph winds and a minimum pressure of 922 mb on Sep 26, and the National Hurricane Center ended advisories on Sep 30.
How strong Hurricane Polo got, and what that means
The map above shows the path, colored by hurricane category.
Polo was a hurricane from Sep 26 to Sep 29.
Over the advisories we kept, the center moved about 1090 miles, from 17.7N 111.5W toward the north to 30.5N 108.0W. At its nearest, the center was about 125 miles southwest of El Paso on Sep 30.
What a Category 4 hurricane can do: Catastrophic damage: well-built homes can lose most of the roof and some exterior walls, most trees are snapped or uprooted, and power can be out for weeks to possibly months. The Saffir-Simpson scale uses wind speed only; storm surge and rainfall flooding can be deadly in any hurricane.
Damage descriptions paraphrase the NHC Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Final damage, rainfall and casualty figures appear in the NHC Tropical Cyclone Report, usually published months after the season. Our record starts on Sep 26, after Polo was already a named storm, so earlier history is not shown.
Timeline
| Milestone | When (UTC) | Center | Winds | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First advisory in our record | Sep 26 12:00 UTC | 17.7N 111.5W | 140 mph | 922 mb |
| Peak winds (Category 4) | Sep 26 15:00 UTC | 17.9N 111.7W | 155 mph | 928 mb |
| Lowest pressure | Sep 26 12:00 UTC | 17.7N 111.5W | 140 mph | 922 mb |
| Weakened below hurricane strength | Sep 29 21:00 UTC | 29.0N 109.7W | 65 mph | 992 mb |
| Last advisory | Sep 30 03:00 UTC | 30.5N 108.0W | 35 mph | 996 mb |
Winds over time
Hurricane Polo at a glance
The key facts of this event in one place.
Recovering after a storm
If you were affected, these official-source guides cover the next steps.
Be ready for the next one: Hurricane preparedness checklist →
Advisory history
Recent advisories, newest first.
| Advisory | Time (UTC) | Winds | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 038 | Sep 30 03:00 | 35 mph | 996 mb |
| 037a | Sep 30 00:00 | 45 mph | 996 mb |
| 037 | Sep 29 21:00 | 65 mph | 992 mb |
| 036a | Sep 29 18:00 | 75 mph | 984 mb |
| 036 | Sep 29 15:00 | 75 mph | 981 mb |
| 035a | Sep 29 12:00 | 75 mph | 981 mb |
| 035 | Sep 29 09:00 | 80 mph | 978 mb |
| 034a | Sep 29 06:00 | 110 mph | 965 mb |
| 034 | Sep 29 03:00 | 115 mph | 963 mb |
| 033a | Sep 29 00:00 | 115 mph | 963 mb |
| 033 | Sep 28 21:00 | 115 mph | 963 mb |
| 032a | Sep 28 18:00 | 115 mph | 964 mb |
How Hurricane Polo compares with history
Landfalls, peak winds and how it ranks against past storms.
At its peak, Hurricane Polo had winds of 155 mph. That is stronger than 97% of the 1,051 named storms recorded in the Eastern and Central Pacific since 1950. The strongest on record is Patricia (2015) at 215 mph.
| Year | Dates | Peak winds | Strength | Lowest pressure | Landfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Nov 17, 2020 to Nov 21, 2020 | 45 mph | Tropical storm | 1004 mb | No |
| 2014 | Sep 16, 2014 to Sep 26, 2014 | 75 mph | Category 1 | 979 mb | No |
| 2008 | Nov 2, 2008 to Nov 5, 2008 | 45 mph | Tropical storm | 1003 mb | No |
| 1990 | Sep 28, 1990 to Oct 1, 1990 | 75 mph | Category 1 | 987 mb | No |
| 1984 | Sep 26, 1984 to Oct 3, 1984 | 115 mph | Category 3 | — | No |
Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2. Landfall means the center of the storm crossed a coastline at some point. It does not mean damage or a U.S. impact.
Common questions about Hurricane Polo
Is Hurricane Polo still active?
No. The last advisory, on Sep 30, placed its center about 125 miles southwest of El Paso, with winds near 35 mph, after it had weakened below hurricane strength. Official tracking of this event has ended. To see alerts that are active where you are now, use the Near Me page with your ZIP code.
Where is Hurricane Polo now?
Hurricane Polo is no longer being tracked. The last advisory, on Sep 30, placed its center about 125 miles southwest of El Paso, with winds near 35 mph, after it had weakened below hurricane strength. Over the advisories we kept, the center moved about 1090 miles, from 17.7N 111.5W toward the north to 30.5N 108.0W. At its nearest, the center was about 125 miles southwest of El Paso on Sep 30.
Is there a Hurricane Polo tracker?
Hurricane Polo is no longer tracked live, so there is no live tracker. The map on this page is the final tracker: the full path of Polo, colored by category, from its first to its last official advisory.
What category was Hurricane Polo?
Hurricane Polo peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 155 mph on Sep 26. It is no longer a hurricane or tropical storm now that advisories have ended.
How strong was Hurricane Polo?
Polo peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 155 mph on Sep 26. The Saffir-Simpson scale rates hurricanes by wind speed only.
Where did Hurricane Polo go?
Over the advisories we kept, the center moved about 1090 miles, from 17.7N 111.5W toward the north to 30.5N 108.0W. At its nearest, the center was about 125 miles southwest of El Paso on Sep 30.
Sources and method
Alerts, forecasts and storm positions come from the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center, refreshed every 15 minutes. We never decide evacuation for you. Impact levels are rules-based and not an official forecast.
Read the methodology →Report an error or request a correction