Hurricane Paula
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Hurricane Paula near peak intensity off the Yucatán Peninsula on October 12
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| Formed | October 11, 2010 |
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| Dissipated | October 15, 2010 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 105 mph (165 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 981 mbar (hPa); 28.97 inHg |
| Fatalities | 1 direct |
| Damage | $200 million (2010 USD) |
| Areas affected | Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, Cuba, Bahamas and Florida |
| Part of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Paula was a small hurricane that struck Honduras and Cuba in October 2010. The eighteenth tropical cyclone, sixteenth named storm, and ninth hurricane of the season, Paula developed from a low pressure area over the southwestern Caribbean Sea on October 11. Moving northwestward, it slowly organized and was upgraded to a tropical storm shortly thereafter. Around midday on October 11, Paula made landfall near Cabo Gracias a Dios at the border of Honduras and Nicaragua. In northeastern Honduras, strong winds destroyed several homes, while rainfall destroyed a few roads and dozens of buildings, include a school and a police station. Favorable conditions such as low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures allowed Paula to reach hurricane status early on October 12. Further intensification occurred, and the storm peaked with winds of 105 mph (165 km/h) while curving northward on October 13.
Due to Paula's small size, impact in Mexico was minor, mainly limited to light rainfall and winds. However, an American tourist drowned offshore Cozumel. After Paula attained its peak intensity on October 13, wind shear began to increase, causing the storm to weaken. The storm turned north-northeastward and fell to tropical storm intensity on October 14. Shortly thereafter, Paula made landfall in the Cuban province of Pinar del Río. Early on October 15, Paula weakened to a tropical depression while moving eastward over Cuba, before degenerating into a remnant low pressure area about six hours later. In Cuba, rainfall was mostly beneficial. Strong winds, with gusts reaching 68 mph (109 km/h), left power outages in Pinar del Río and Artemisa provinces. In the Havana area, a few homes were deroofed, while falling trees blocked many roads. Impact in the Florida Keys was minimal, limited to light rainfall and increased tides.
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