Hurricane Paloma strengthened over the Caribbean and was approaching the Cayman Islands and Cuba with sustained winds of more than 185 kilometres an hour on Friday.
Paloma was upgraded to a category three on the Saffir-Simpson scale and was set to pass near the Cayman Islands early Saturday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.
Forecasters said it could reach Cuba on Sunday.
The residents of the Cayman Islands, Cuba and Jamaica were under a hurricane warning.
The storm became a hurricane in the Caribbean Sea late Thursday.
Cuba was struck by two powerful hurricanes, Gustav and Ike, within just seven days between August and September. The island was devastated, with an estimated 9 billion dollars in damages.
Should Paloma make landfall on Cuba, it would be the fifth storm to hit the island this season.
Paloma is the 16th storm in the current season - set to end November 30 - in the Atlantic Ocean.
Shares fell 2.1 per cent Friday on the Seoul stock exchange on general recession fears. South Korea's won dropped against the dollar.
When the Spirit rover landed on Mars five years ago, no one expected it or its sister rover Opportunity to make it to their first birthdays, let alone their fifth.
Amelie Mauresmo fell victim to a leg injury after less than half an hour on court Friday to hand over a 4-0 victory which put French compatriot Marion Bartoli into the final of the Brisbane International.
Mumbai-based movie Slumdog Millionaire won five prizes Thursday night at the Critics Choice Awards, cementing its position as a surprise favourite just as the Oscar season moves into high gear.
After the Taipei Zoo received two giant pandas from China, another Taiwan zoo said Friday it is seeking to receive a pair of pandas from China.