This week, the Pacific produced a monster.
Hurricane Polo — 180 mile-an-hour winds, pressure down to 892 millibars. The second-strongest hurricane ever recorded in the eastern Pacific. It brushed the coast of Mexico — and preparation beat it back.
Mexico decided
That’s not luck. Mexico decided. Fifteen thousand emergency personnel deployed. Coastal towns evacuated. Ports closed, shelters opened, schools shut. A Category 5 came knocking — and readiness answered.
Quiet is borrowed time
Meanwhile, the same force behind it — the super El Niño, the strongest in over a century — has put the Atlantic to sleep. No hurricane this late in September since 1914. Florida’s quiet… but quiet isn’t safe. Quiet is borrowed time.
And here’s what excites me: every one of these outcomes was a decision. Mexico decided to be ready. We get to decide too.
On November 12th, in Sarasota, we’re gathering the people who know how — From Climate Risk to Climate Resilience. Coastal communities, real solutions.
The Bunting Brief is Bob Bunting’s short-form series on the weather and climate forces shaping Florida’s Gulf Coast.
🎟️ Join us November 12 — From Climate Risk to Climate Resilience, Sarasota. Get tickets here.
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