* Hurricane packs winds near 100 mph (160 kph)
* Cuba could get hit with up to 10 inches (25 cm) of rain
By Isela Serrano
CANCUN, Mexico, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Hurricane Paula menaced Mexico&${esc.hash}39;s Caribbean coastline and Cuba on Wednesday with winds of 100 mph (160 kph) and potential torrential rainfall as Mexico evacuated tourists and residents from islands off the Yucatan peninsula.
Paula was forecast to brush past Mexico&${esc.hash}39;s Yucatan coast, home to hundreds of resorts, by Wednesday afternoon and move near or over western Cuba by Wednesday night or early Thursday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
Paula is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 cm) over portions of western and central Cuba, with isolated maximum amounts of 10 inches (25 cm) possible, the Miami-based center said.
"In areas of mountainous terrain over central and western Cuba, these rainfall amounts could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the center said.
Western Cuba also could be hit with a storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves, the center said.
Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5) are possible over northeastern portions of the Yucatan peninsula, it said.
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The center said Paula was a Category 2 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson intensity scale, with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph (160 kph) and even stronger gusts.
At 5 a.m. Eastern Time, the hurricane was located about 60 miles (95 km) east-northeast of the tourist island of Cozumel, Mexico, and about 100 miles (160 km) southwest of the western tip of Cuba, it said. It was moving northward.
Cozumel, which attracts scuba divers, was hard-hit by Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
A gradual weakening of the hurricane was forecast to begin by Wednesday afternoon or night.
Around 2,500 people were evacuated from the tiny island of Holbox, where tourists flock to catch sight of birds and rare whale sharks.
As it neared the Yucatan coast, Paula poured heavy rains on Cancun, Mexico&${esc.hash}39;s biggest tourist destination, and threatened to flood poor, outlying slums.
The storm was not forecast to hit Mexico&${esc.hash}39;s main offshore oil-producing region in the Gulf of Mexico. Paula also spared Central America&${esc.hash}39;s coffee-growing region, which has already been battered this year by heavy rains. (Editing by Will Dunham and Eric Beech)
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