Tropical Storm Paula weakened to a tropical depression Friday after dumping heavy rains on Cuba’s capital, turning some of the streets into shallow rivers and knocking out power.
Paula had earlier been the ninth hurricane of the busy 2010 Atlantic season and had reached Category 2 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity.
However, Cuban officials discontinued all storm warnings for the island by late Thursday.
By early Friday, Paula’s maximum sustained winds had diminished to near 35 mph, with some higher gusts, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
