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Hurricane Polo was a minimal hurricane which threatened to affect the same areas that were previously hit by the stronger Hurricane Odile. The sixteenth named system of the 2014 Pacific hurricane season, Polo was initially poised to hit the Baja California Peninsula before recurving to the west. Meteorological history The origins of Hurricane Polo can be traced to a surface trough located in the far eastern North Pacific, and a well-defined tropical wave which exited the coast of Africa, early on September 4. The wave produced continuous convection and became associated with a closed low pressure system. The wave traversed westward before passing through the Lesser Antilles on September 11, before crossing Central America just three days later. As the system crossed the latter, a kelvin wave had enhanced deep convection over the far eastern Pacific Ocean, following the passage of Hurricane Odile. A trough was able to intensify with the help of convection, resulting in the low becoming Tropical Storm Polo on September 16, about 310 miles (500 km) south of Mexico. Tracking northwest within an environment conducive for strengthening, Polo intensified into a Category 1 hurricane and reached peak winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) by 00:00 UTC on September 18 as an eye became evident on satellite imagery. A sharp increase in wind shear quickly thereafter caused the storm's center to become exposed, and a reconnaissance mission indicated that Polo weakened to a tropical storm by 18:00 UTC that day. After maintaining intensity for about a day, the cyclone weakened to a tropical depression by 06:00 UTC on September 22 and further decreased into a remnant low six hours later. The low turned southwestward before dissipating well southwest of the southern tip of Baja California on September 26. Preparations and impact At 15:00 UTC on September 16, a Tropical Storm Watch was issued for the coast of Southwestern Mexico from Zihuatanejo, Guerrero to Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco. Just 24 hours later, a Tropical Storm Warning was put in effect Punta San Telmo, Michoacán to Playa Perula, Jalisco. As Polo passed by the Mexican coast, many areas were damaged. Over 190 restaurants and over 20 shops were damaged. One tourist was killed due to Polo. In addition, 3 more people went missing, including two fisherman, in Guerrero. Damage in the state caused by Polo totaled at over 100 million pesos (US$7.6 million).
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