Hurricane center eyes new Atlantic system while Tropical Storm Gabrielle spins

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Sep 18, 2025

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The National Hurricane Center on Thursday continued to track Tropical Storm Gabrielle while also eyeing a tropical wave moving off the coast of Africa that could become the season’s next named storm.

As of the NHC’s 5 p.m. EDT advisory on Gabrielle, the system had 50 mph sustained winds located about 700 miles east-northeast of the Caribbean’s northern Leeward Islands, headed west-northwest at 13 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend out 290 miles from its center.

Gabrielle became the season’s seventh named storm after it intensified from a tropical depression that formed earlier Wednesday.

“This motion is expected to continue over the next couple days, followed by a northwestward turn this weekend,” forecasters said. “Little change in strength is forecast over the next 24 hours, but some gradual intensification is forecast shortly thereafter and could become a hurricane late weekend into early next week.”

Its forecast path has shifted and could be a threat to Bermuda.

Projections have it growing into a Category 1 hurricane by Sunday, and then Category 2 by Monday with 100 mph winds, which would be only the second hurricane of the season.

“The NHC intensity forecast is raised from the previous one, but not as high as the model consensus mostly due to continuity,” the NHC storm discussion reads. “There are a growing number of hurricane models that are indicating Gabrielle could approach major hurricane strength after the weekend.”

The NHC was also monitoring one more system in the eastern tropical Atlantic.

As of the 2 p.m. tropical outlook, a tropical wave was right on the coast of Africa producing disorganized thunderstorm activity.

“Some gradual development of this system is possible over the weekend through the middle of next week while it moves west-northwestward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic,” forecasters said.

The NHC gave it a 20% chance to develop in the next seven days.

The next name after Gabrielle would be Humberto.

The climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season was on Sept. 10, but 60% of annual activity has historically happened after this date, the NHC stated.

With the new depression, the season has had only seven official storms. The most recent, Tropical Storm Fernand, petered out by the end of August.

The only hurricane had been Hurricane Erin, which grew into a massive Category 5 system with 160 mph winds but remained in the Atlantic without making landfall.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in early August updated its season forecast to call for 13-18 named storms this year, of which five to nine would grow into hurricanes. Two to five of those would develop into major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

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