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Hurricane Paula Forms in Caribbean, Threatens Cancun, Cozumel
2010-10-12 09:49:22.588 GMT
By Alex Morales
Oct. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Paula formed today in the
western Caribbean off Honduras and may threaten Mexico's Yucatan
resorts of Cancun and Cozumel with high winds and heavy rain
over the next two days, the National Hurricane Center said.
Paula, the ninth hurricane of the June through November
Atlantic season, is packing sustained winds of 75 miles per hour
(120 kilometers per hour), the Miami-based center said in a
website advisory at about 3:40 a.m. Cancun time.
The system was 230 miles south-southeast of the resort
island of Cozumel moving northwest at 10 mph, the center said.
It's forecast to pass just off the east coast of the Yucatan
late tomorrow before turning east toward Cuba without
threatening any oil installations in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane warnings were in place for the Mexican coast from
Punta Gruesa to Cabo Catoche, including Cozumel. Forecasters
said tropical storm-force winds are expected to reach the coast
within the hurricane warning area later today or tonight with
hurricane conditions early tomorrow. "Additional strengthening
is possible during the next day or two," the center said.
Tropical storm-force winds are at least 39 mph; the
threshold for a hurricane is 74 mph. Paula may produce up to 10
inches (25 centimeters) of rain over northern Belize, the
eastern Yucatan and western and central Cuba, the center said.
"In areas of mountainous terrain, these rains could cause
life-threatening flash floods and mud slides," the center said.
A storm surge may produce coastal flooding along the east coast
of the Yucatan and on the Bay Islands of Honduras. Near the
coast, the surge will be accompanied by large waves, it said.
A tropical storm warning was also in place for the coast of
Honduras from Limon to the border with Nicaragua and in Mexico
from Chetumal to the Punta Gruesa area and from Cabo Catoche to
San Felipe.
For Related News and Information:
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Most-read environmental news: MNI ENV <GO>
Bloomberg Weather Center: WEAT <GO>
--Editors: Randall Hackley, Jonas Bergman
To contact the reporter on this story:
Alex Morales in London at +44-20-7330-7718 or
amorales2@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Reed Landberg at +44-20-7330-7862 or landberg@bloomberg.net.
