Tropical Storm Gabrielle Forecast to Form by Late Wednesday

Is Tropical Storm Gabrielle right around the corner? Hurricane experts believe so. Here is an updated look at what is happening in the tropical Atlantic this week.

Two Primary Zones of Likely Tropical Development in the Atlantic

The tropical Atlantic is finally starting to awake from its long and deep sleep. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) was tracking two different areas of potential development on Tuesday. The latest update out of the NHC shows a large disturbance that is forecast to move through the central Atlantic this weekend.

This cluster of rain showers and thunderstorms is currently located about halfway between the Cabo Verde Islands and Barbados. The system could become a tropical depression or storm as early as Tuesday or Wednesday. This feature is moving to the west-northwest at a speed of 10 to 15 mph.

The NHC has designated the cluster as Invest 92L for now. Once it strengthens and generates an organized center of circulation, it will go by the name of Gabrielle.

Forecasters at the NHC have high confidence that this disturbance will become the next named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. Experts have assigned this feature a 90% chance of development over the next seven days. The system has been fending off strong areas of wind shear in the early part of its journey; however, those disruptive winds are forecast to dissipate soon.

The latest forecast models show that the likely future Gabrielle will not be a threat to the U.S. mainland. Most of the model runs indicate that the storm will take a turn to the right before moving back out into the open sea to the north of the Lesser Antilles. A large zone of high pressure centered over the eastern Atlantic will pair with an expansive trough ejecting off the East Coast to steer the system away from the U.S.

The zone of high pressure will first steer Gabrielle to the west in the near future. However, an anticipated southward dip in the jet stream later in the week will serve as a roadblock, preventing the tropical weather maker from reaching the U.S. coastline.

Bermuda could get caught in the crosshairs of the future Gabrielle. Impacts could be felt as soon as the early part of next week.