Paloma is 75 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman as of 10 a.m. EST on Friday. It is moving north at 8 mph with winds of 85 mph. It could become a Category 3 hurricane with winds ranging from 111 mph to 130 mph before striking Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane is expected to arrive in Cuba on Sunday. The government has warned people of hurricane conditions within 36 hours in the provinces of Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas and Granma.
Paloma is the seventh hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. Previously, hurricanes Gustav and Ike killed an estimated 880 people across the Caribbean, Central America , and the U.S., causing billions of dollars in damages.