Polo (2008)

A small tropical cyclone formed from a tropical wave that crossed Central America and became a tropical depression at 1200 UTC on 2 November 2008 about 680 nautical miles south‑southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. The system moved generally westward and strengthened into Tropical Storm Polo by 0000 UTC 3 November. Polo was short‑lived, reaching and holding peak intensity intermittently on 3–4 November before weakening to a tropical depression at 0000 UTC 5 November and dissipating later that day.

Polo did not make any landfalls. It remained well south of Mexico and did not approach populated coastlines, so no watches or warnings were required.

The maximum sustained winds were 40 knots (about 46 mph), and the minimum central pressure at the time of peak intensity was 1003 millibars. These values correspond to a minimal tropical storm rather than a hurricane.

Because Polo stayed over open water and was small in size (tropical‑storm‑force winds extended only about 25 nautical miles from the center), there were no reported storm surge measurements associated with the system and no reports of rainfall totals for land locations. No ship reports of tropical‑storm‑force winds were received.

There were no reported deaths or damage from Polo. The storm’s genesis was not well anticipated in advance — it was first noted in official outlooks about 36 hours before depression formation and was never given a high pre‑genesis probability — and its small size made intensity estimation challenging for satellite techniques. Overall, Polo is notable mainly for its low‑latitude formation and its small, short‑lived character rather than for impacts on land.