TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Honduran emergency officials urged coastal residents to evacuate low-lying areas Monday and Mexico issued a hurricane warning as Tropical Storm Paula battered the Caribbean coast with strong winds and rain.
Paula formed Monday off Honduras and was expected to develop into a hurricane by Tuesday, said the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
It had winds of 60 mph (95 kph) and was centered about 100 miles (170 kilometers) east of Isla Guanaja, Honduras, the center said.
The government of Mexico issued a hurricane warning for the country's coast from Punta Gruesa north to the resort city of Cancun and the island of Cozumel. Warnings are issued when hurricane conditions are almost certain to occur. Belize, which shares the Yucatan peninsula with Mexico, issued a tropical-storm watch for its coast.
The Honduran National Emergencies Commission issued a tropical-storm warning for the coastal provinces of Gracias a Dios, Islas de la Bahia, Colon, Atlantida and Yoro.
The commission also warned of possible flooding and landslides and suggested residents avoid fishing trips or engaging in water sports.
Forecasters said the storm would produce heavy rains that could cause flash floods and mudslides, especially in the mountains of Nicaragua and Honduras. Coastal flooding from heavy waves was also expected along the east coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the Bay Islands of Honduras.
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