Gabrielle expected to reach the Azores at hurricane strength

Hurricane Gabrielle is expected to reach the Azores later this week as a hurricane, a rare event for the Atlantic islands, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

As of Tuesday afternoon, Gabrielle had maximum sustained winds near 130 mph with higher gusts. The hurricane was located about 595 miles west of the Azores and moving east-northeast at 18 mph.

The NHC said weakening is expected to continue as the storm encounters stronger wind shear and cooler waters, but Gabrielle should remain a hurricane when it approaches the islands late Thursday.

A Hurricane Watch has been issued for all of the Azores. Forecasters said the system is likely to complete its transition into a post-tropical cyclone by Friday or Saturday after moving across the islands.

Hurricanes rarely reach the Azores at such strength. In recent decades, storms such as Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019 and Hurricane Gordon in 2012 struck the islands with winds equivalent to a Category 1 storm.

The NHC added that swells from Gabrielle will continue to affect Bermuda, the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina northward, and Atlantic Canada over the next couple of days. The swells are expected to create life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Gabrielle is the seventh named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season and the second major hurricane, following Hurricane Erin in August.