The Foreign Office has updated its travel guidance for British tourists in Mexico as Hurricane Polo approaches the country's southwestern coast, with warnings of life-threatening flooding and landslides.
Category five storm heading for Mexico
Hurricane Polo is expected to make landfall along the southern coast of Mexico within the next few days. The storm has been upgraded back to a category five hurricane — the most severe classification possible — having previously been downgraded to a category four.
Category five storms can produce winds exceeding 157mph, and Hurricane Polo will be 'one of the strongest storms ever' in the Pacific basin, according to Prof Kristen L. Corbosiero, from the University at Albany.
Foreign Office advice for tourists
With the full scale of the storm's destructive potential now apparent, the Foreign Office has revised its guidance for British tourists planning trips to Mexico, urging them to 'follow advice from local authorities and your tour operator'.
It said: "Hurricane Polo is bringing heavy rainfall across Mexico's southwestern coast, including parts of Guerrero, Michoacan and Oaxaca states."
"Heavy rain is expected to continue during the week of September 21, and may cause life-threatening flooding and landslides. A hurricane warning is in place."
"Follow advice from local authorities and your tour operator. See extreme weather and natural hazards for advice about how to prepare for travel during hurricane season and what to do ahead of a storm."
Long-standing travel warnings remain
The hurricane alert comes as the Foreign Office's longstanding travel guidance regarding safe areas within Mexico remains unaltered. Officials recommend avoiding any non-essential travel to 11 Mexican states, save for particular circumstances.
The 11 states comprise Baja California, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Jalisco, Colima, Guerrero, and Chiapas. The warnings encompass the major city of Tijuana, though they do confirm that airside transit through its international airport remains safe.
The Foreign Office has maintained this long-standing guidance owing to 'drug-related violence' across the northern, western, and central states. It advises: "Many fatalities are suspected gang members killed in violent clashes between the different organisations competing for control of trafficking routes into the USA. Armed clashes between security forces and drug groups can happen at any time without warning. Take extreme care outside tourist areas in all these states."
Regarding eastern Mexico, diplomats stated: "There has been an increase in security incidents in the states of Tabasco and Veracruz, including the city of Veracruz. Illegal roadblocks are reported frequently. Be extremely cautious."
Southern Mexico is similarly affected by drug-related violence, according to the government, particularly near the Guatemalan border: "Gangs do not usually target tourists, but you could be a victim of violence due to mistaken identity or on suspicion of spying for other organised criminal gangs."
"There is a risk of being caught in crossfire between rival organised crime groups." Well-known Mexican holiday hotspots favoured by British tourists, including Cancun, Tulum and Mexico City, are not affected by the warning.
