New Delhi, Sept. 22 -- Hurricane Polo intensified rapidly to Category 5 strength off Mexico's Pacific coast on Tuesday, but the storm is expected to remain offshore rather than make a direct landfall, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Polo jumped from Category 1 to the strongest Category 5 classification on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale in less than a day. The hurricane was packing sustained winds of around 160 mph (260 kph) and could strengthen further, the NHC said.

Despite the expectation that the storm will remain at sea, forecasters warned that Polo could still bring dangerous weather conditions to parts of Mexico, including life-threatening flooding and mudslides.

"The core of Polo is expected to be near t...