Paloma has strengthened to a hurricane with winds near 75 mph (120 kph) as it churns toward the Cayman Islands and Cuba, the Associated Press reported.
Forecasters say the storm is expected to continue strengthening as it moves north and could become a major
Category 3 hurricane by Saturday as it approaches Cuba.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says a hurricane warning is in effect for the Cayman Islands,
where the storm could dump up to 8 inches ( 20 centimeters) of rain.
The center says Paloma may make landfall in Cuba over the weekend, and Jamaica was warned to also monitor its progress.
As a tropical storm earlier Thursday, Paloma dumped rain on the remote Nicaragua-Honduras border.