Tropical Storm Paula forms in the northwestern Caribbean

Tropical Storm Paula forms in the northwestern Caribbean

2010-10-12 03:00:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) -- Tropical Storm Paula formed in the northwestern Caribbean on late Monday afternoon, forecasters said, making it the 16th tropical storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season.

As of 4 p.m. EDT on Monday, the center of the storm was located near the northeastern coast of Honduras where it is moving northeastward at 10 miles (16 kilometers) per hour towards the Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico, which separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico.

Earlier on Monday afternoon, Robbie Berg, a forecaster at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center, said Tropical Paula appeared to be forming near the coast of Honduras. "There is a high chance, near 100 percent, of this system becoming a tropical cyclone," he said at 2 p.m. EDT.

The National Hurricane Center will start issuing advisories on Paula at 5 p.m. EDT. "Watches and/or warnings will be required for portions of the coast of Honduras, Belize, and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico," Berg said.

As a result of Paula, heavy rainfall is possible over portions of Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, the Yucatan Peninsula, the Cayman Islands, and Western Cuba during the next couple of days. After that, the storm is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico and possibly strengthen into a category one hurricane.

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