Forecasters at the U.S. Hurricane Center in Miami said at 4 a.m., Paloma was 65 miles east of the Nicaragua/Honduras border. The storm was moving toward the north-northwest near 7 mph, which was expected to continue through Thursday night, the NHC said.

Hurricane hunter aircraft recorded sustained winds of 40 mph with higher gusts. Wind strength was forecast to increase during the next 24 hours, and the forecast said Paloma could become a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds above 74 mph by Friday.

Tropical storm force winds extend outward from the center up to 25 miles.

Paloma is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of as much as 12 inches over eastern Honduras, northeastern Nicaragua and the Cayman Islands.