Hurricane Gabrielle has become a strong Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. It is located over open water, east-southeast of Bermuda.
According to the Associated Press, “Gabrielle strengthened into a major hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday but was forecast to remain away from land.”
The storm is moving to the north-northeast and is expected to continue on its path, accelerating to the east-northeast over the next few days. It is forecast to pass east of Bermuda and could eventually approach the Azores archipelago by the end of the week.
The National Hurricane Centre said, “Interests in the Azores should monitor the progress of Gabrielle though it is too soon to specify the magnitude of potential wind, rainfall, and wave impacts.”
Even though the core of the storm is staying offshore, it is generating large ocean swells. These swells are already affecting Bermuda and are reaching the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina northward, as well as Atlantic Canada.
The National Hurricane Centre stated that swells from the storm “are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) warns that these swells are “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
While the Atlantic hurricane season was relatively quiet this year, Hurricane Gabrielle has ended that quiet period. It is the second hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season.
Forecasters expect Gabrielle to gradually weaken over the next few days as it moves into an area with cooler water and increased wind shear.
The strongest hurricane to hit Florida was Labor Day Hurricane in 1935.