Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Small but powerful Hurricane Paula was closing in on the tip of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula Tuesday after strengthening into a hurricane earlier in the day, forecasters said.
As of 8 a.m. ET, the center of Paula was located about 190 miles (310 kilometers) south-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. It was moving northwest at about 10 mph (17 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm's maximum sustained winds were at 75 mph (120 kph).
The center of Paula is expected to approach the east coast of the Yucatan Tuesday night and Wednesday, forecasters said. Tracking maps show it brushing the peninsula, then heading eastward and affecting western Cuba, possibly as a tropical storm, later in the week.
A hurricane warning was in effect for coastal Mexico from Punta Gruesa northward to Cabo Catoche, including Cozumel, the Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning was in effect from Chetumal, Mexico, northward to south of Punta Gruesa, and the from Cabo Catoche to San Felipe. A tropical storm warning for the Honduran coast and the bay islands was canceled Tuesday morning.
Paula is currently a Category 1 hurricane, and some slight strengthening is possible over the next day or two, forecasters said.
CNN
