An already busy Pacific hurricane season intensified this week with multiple storms targeting Hawaii and Mexico. Hurricane Polo led the pack, barreling along the coast of southwest Mexico as a Category 5 storm with a central pressure of 892 millibars, ranking as the second-most intense on record in the eastern Pacific Ocean behind Hurricane Patricia of 2015. Nearby, Hurricane Odalys spun over the open Pacific hundreds of miles west, while another system southeast of Hawaii faced uncertainty about strengthening into a named storm, potentially called Nolo. "It's really busy out there," said Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University.

The National Weather Service warned of life-threatening flooding risks on the Big Island, with potential rainfall of 20 to 30 inches from Wednesday through Saturday, spreading to Maui by Thursday. Computerized models showed "huge" spread, making storm path predictions difficult, according to Stephen Parker of the National Weather Service office in Honolulu. Philippe Papin, senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, noted guidance indicates the system could become a named tropical storm in coming days and approach Hawaiian Islands within four or five days.

Hurricane Polo, though expected to stay mostly over ocean traveling parallel to southwest Mexico's coast, could bring three to eight inches of rain to Guerrero and Michoacán, plus strong winds and large coastal waves.