Rain heralded Paula’s imminent arrival in Cuba People in Cuba are on alert as Hurricane Paula nears the island, bringing heavy rainfall.
At 0500GMT, Paula was 50km (30 miles) north-west of the western tip of Cuba, the US National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane, with winds of up to 130km/h (80mph), is weakening and Cuban officials said their main concern was prolonged rain.
Paula headed towards Cuba after brushing Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula with strong winds and downpours.
Cuba’s civil defence authorities put people living in the western Pinar del Rio province on alert for Paula, which is set to be the first hurricane to hit the island during this year’s hurricane season.
The country’s chief meteorologist, Jose Rubiera, said the hurricane was expected to weaken.
“The rains at times could be strong or intense in some areas of Pinar del Rio, but the truth is they shouldn’t be that strong,” he told the Associated Press.
“They could be prolonged, however, and that could lead to heavy accumulation.”
Paula, which at one point intensified to a category-two storm with winds of up to 160km/h (100 mph), came close to Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula but did not cause any damage.
The storm also brought strong winds and heavy rain to north-east Honduras, where some 19 houses were damaged.
Mexico and Central America have been hit by a series of floods and landslides in recent weeks, with thousands of people left homeless.
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