TROPICAL STORM PALOMA May become Hurricane by Friday

Tropical Storm Paloma, the 16th of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, formed in the Caribbean on Thursday and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane on a path that could threaten the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Cuba, U.S. forecasters said.

The storm was located 70 miles (115 km) east of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Nicaragua-Honduras border at 4 a.m. EST (0800 GMT), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The Miami-based center said Paloma was moving toward the north-northwest at 7 miles per hour (11 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph).

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Paloma could become a hurricane on Friday, it said.

A tropical storm watch was in effect from Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, to Limon, Honduras. The watch means tropical storm conditions are possible within the area in 24 to 36 hours.

The storm was expected to pour up to 8 inches of rain over eastern Honduras, northeastern Nicaragua and the Cayman Islands.

WTNT32 KNHC 061434
TCPAT2
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM PALOMA ADVISORY NUMBER 4
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL172008
1000 AM EST THU NOV 06 2008

...PALOMA STRENGTHENING...

AT 10 AM EST...1500 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS HAS
ISSUED A HURRICANE WATCH FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS. A HURRICANE WATCH
MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH
AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM PUERTO CABEZAS
NICARAGUA NORTHWARD TO LIMON HONDURAS. THIS WATCH COULD BE
DISCONTINUED LATER TODAY.

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INTERESTS IN CUBA AND JAMAICA SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF PALOMA.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 1000 AM EST...1500Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM PALOMA WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 15.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.3 WEST OR ABOUT 75
MILES...115 KM...NORTHEAST OF CABO GRACIAS A DIOS ON THE
NICARAGUA/HONDURAS BORDER AND ABOUT 265 MILES...430 KM...
SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF GRAND CAYMAN.

PALOMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 7 MPH...11 KM/HR.
THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY...WITH A
GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE NORTH EXPECTED ON FRIDAY AND A TURN TOWARD
THE NORTHEAST EXPECTED ON SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 45 MPH...75 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. STEADY STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS...AND PALOMA COULD BECOME A HURRICANE TOMORROW.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 35 MILES...55 KM
FROM THE CENTER.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE FROM SATELLITE DATA IS 998
MB...29.47 INCHES.

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PALOMA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF
2 TO 4 INCHES OVER EASTERN HONDURAS AND NORTHEASTERN NICARAGUA.
OVER THE CAYMAN ISLANDS...4 TO 8 OF RAIN IS EXPECTED WITH ISOLATED
MAXIMUM TOTALS OF 12 INCHES POSSIBLE.

REPEATING THE 1000 AM EST POSITION...15.6 N...82.3 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 7 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...45
MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...998 MB.

AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER AT 100 PM EST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 400
PM EST.