Puerto Vallarta is outside the current tropical-storm watch, but official forecasts still call for hazardous coastal rain and waves.
PUERTO VALLARTA, Jalisco — Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Hurricane Polo remained a powerful Category 4 storm Wednesday evening as its outer rainbands continued to affect the coast of southwestern Mexico.
At 6 p.m. Central time, the U.S. National Hurricane Center placed Polo about 235 kilometers south-southwest of Zihuatanejo and 425 kilometers south-southeast of Manzanillo. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 250 km/h and was moving northwest at 9 km/h.
The tropical-storm warning extended from Tecpan de Galeana to Punta San Telmo, with a watch westward to Playa Pérula. Puerto Vallarta was not included in that watch area at the source-check time. That does not remove the rain and coastal hazards forecast for Jalisco.
The National Hurricane Center said Polo's core was expected to remain near the southwestern Mexico coast through Thursday morning before moving farther out to sea. It forecast 50 to 100 millimeters of rain in coastal Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco through Thursday. Swells generated by Polo could produce life-threatening surf, rip currents, and coastal flooding along portions of southwestern Mexico.
Mexico’s Servicio Meteorológico Nacional updated its regional forecast at 6 p.m. Wednesday. For Thursday, it called for 75 to 150 millimeters of rain in western, southern and coastal Jalisco, coastal winds of 60 to 70 km/h with gusts of 80 to 90 km/h, and waves of 4 to 6 meters along the state’s coast. These are regional forecasts, not measurements or municipality-specific totals for Puerto Vallarta.
Heavy rain can raise streams and rivers and cause localized flooding, landslides, ponding, and reduced visibility, according to the SMN. Conditions can vary considerably across the state and change as Polo moves.
Residents and visitors should avoid entering rough water, stay away from flooded streets and river crossings, and follow current instructions from Puerto Vallarta Civil Protection and Jalisco authorities. A listed shelter should not be treated as open unless local authorities confirm it. For emergencies, call 911.
The official Puerto Vallarta and Jalisco Civil Protection pages checked at 6 p.m. did not display a dated Polo closure, evacuation, or shelter-opening bulletin. That limited website check is not proof that no local instruction exists, so the article makes no such claim and directs readers to current official notices.
The next complete National Hurricane Center advisory was scheduled for 9 p.m. Central time, and the next SMN general forecast for 6 a.m. Thursday. This report must be refreshed if either update or a newer local order is available before publication.
