Hurricane Polo nears Mexico as super El Nino raises global weather fears
Hurricane Polo, a category five storm, is nearing Mexico's Pacific coast while scientists warn a super El Nino could bring deadly weather worldwide.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Hurricane Polo is approaching Mexico's Pacific coast as a category five storm, with forecasters warning that it will stay powerful as it moves northeast over the next couple of days. The hurricane was about 100 miles southwest of the Baja California peninsula. It has been described as the second biggest hurricane in that part of the east Pacific, a region that does not usually see storms of this strength. Category five is the strongest category of hurricane.
Polo is expected to weaken a little as it tracks up the coast, but winds could still reach about 100 mph. Exceptionally warm waters across the Pacific are helping to maintain its strength. Those warm waters have also been linked to El Nino.
Scientists have been warning about a super El Nino, which set in in June. El Nino is a warming of Pacific waters near the coast of Peru that happens every two to seven years. It is caused by a change in the direction of the trade winds, which allows sea surface temperatures to rise. The usual threshold for an El Nino is 0.5C above average. This event has reached 3C, which is why it is being called a super El Nino.
The effects can be global. El Nino can cause droughts across Australia, India and southeast Asia. It can also lead to a stronger storm season in America. The University of Chicago's climate department has projected about 450,000 deaths from the effects of this super El Nino, including wildfires, droughts and disrupted monsoons. The projection comes against a backdrop of global warming, with ground temperatures around 1C to 1.5C above average.
Even though El Nino is far from the UK, it can still have some effects there. The Met Office expects an increase in the severity of the storm season as winter begins. The last big El Nino was in 2015, when Storm Desmond hit. Forecasters said this year's super El Nino could bring a similar stormy period and a colder end to winter.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Polo was reported as a category five hurricane, the strongest category. | |
| Sea surface temperatures in the super El Nino reached 3C, above the 0.5C threshold. | |
| The University of Chicago's climate department projected about 450,000 deaths from the effects of the super El Nino. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The 5 News with Dan Walker segment treated the story as a weather explainer, leading on Hurricane Polo's category five strength and its path near Baja California before widening out to super El Nino mechanics, global impacts and UK storm risk. The tone was concerned but conversational, with a studio interview and a striking death toll projection. It did not give local Mexican response details or name the individual scientists behind the projection.
- “the mexican west coast is braced for the arrival of hurricane polo”
- “It is apparently the second biggest hurricane in that particular part of the world in the east pacific”
- “this is 450 000 projected deaths apparently from the university of chicago their climate department”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.