A tropical storm heading towards Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula has strengthened into a hurricane.
Forecasters at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center say Paula now has winds of 120km/h (75 mph).
The hurricane is also likely to bring heavy rainfall to parts of Honduras, Nicaragua and Belize.
Mexico and Central America have been hit by a series of floods and landslides in recent weeks, with thousands of people left homeless.
At 0900GMT Paula was located some 370km (230 miles) south-east of the island of Cozumel, the National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane is expected to move north towards the Yucatan Peninsula, where a hurricane warning is in force along part of the coast.
Emergency officials in Honduras have been urging people to leave low-lying coastal areas.
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