Hurricane Gabrielle Skirts Bermuda After Exploding in Intensity

Hurricane Gabrielle skirted past Bermuda late Monday and is currently racing back to the east across the Atlantic. The major hurricane is now threatening the Azores before a potential crash course with parts of Europe. Here is a look at what is expected next from Gabrielle, as well as what forecasters are eyeing for the next possible threats to the U.S. as the action heats up in the tropical Atlantic.

Latest Update on Hurricane Gabrielle

Gabrielle passed within 175 miles of Bermuda on Monday as a major hurricane. As of the last update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Gabrielle is a Category 4 storm that is packing maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The storm is moving at a fast clip of 20 mph, traveling to the east-northeast and out into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The latest forecast models indicate that Gabrielle will approach the Azores on Thursday before impacting Portugal, Spain, and France as a tropical rainstorm over the weekend. The exceptionally warm ocean waters in the central Atlantic helped Gabrielle to explode from a tropical storm on Sunday afternoon to a major Category 3 hurricane just 22 hours later. This 55-mph increase in wind speed easily hit the parameters of what meteorologists define as rapid intensification.

Gabrielle reached the designation of a Category 4 storm on Monday evening as it made its closest approach to Bermuda. The storm was able to maintain this intensity overnight Monday and into Tuesday.

It has been a relatively quiet tropical weather season in the Atlantic thus far. Gabrielle joined Erin as the only two hurricanes to roam the basin this year. While the quantity is not there, both of these storms went on to become major hurricanes, defined as Category 3 or higher. Like Gabrielle, Erin also underwent the process of rapid intensification. This storm went from a mere tropical storm to a Category 5 monster in about 24 hours.

What is Next for Gabrielle?

There are no major landmasses in Gabrielle's path for the next few days. The large swells generated by the volatile storm are moving outward from the center across the North Atlantic, impacting shipping and cruising interests. The rough surf conditions for Bermuda will linger through Tuesday and into Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the large swells will begin to affect the Azores on Wednesday and Thursday before reaching the coastal areas of western Europe by the weekend. Any leftover rough surf conditions and strong rip currents generated by Gabrielle along the U.S. Atlantic coastline will dissipate by Wednesday as the storm moves farther away.