By Aida Pelaez-Fernandez
Sept 22 (Reuters) - Hurricane Polo has reached category 5 strength, the highest possible, as it looms over the Mexican Pacific coast, posing life-threatening flooding risks, the US National Hurricane Center said in an advisory on Tuesday.
Despite its proximity and the heavy rains it will bring, Polo is expected to move slowly off the coast in the next couple of days, the advisory added.
"Although the core of the hurricane is forecast to remain offshore of southwestern Mexico,
it is too soon to determine the exact location and magnitude of impacts," NHC warned.
With maximum sustained winds near 160 mph (260 km/h), some additional strengthening is still expected through late in the day.
The category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale is located some 220 miles (355 km) south of the tourist town of Zihuatanejo and 360 miles south-southeast of port city Manzanillo.
Rainfall in the coastal states of Guerrero and Michoacan is expected to produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, NHC said.
Mexican authorities warned about intense rainfall forecast for western and southern parts of the country, which could cause rivers to overflow.
The national civil protection agency asked residents not to walk or drive on flooded streets and to remove beach equipment and furniture to prevent wind-related hazards.
"If you are in a flood-prone area, identify higher ground and the best routes to reach it," the agency added on X.
(Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez in Barcelona; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Kim Coghill)
