Hurricane Gabrielle (2025): Difference between revisions

 

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{{Use American English|date=September 2025}}

{{Use American English|date=September 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}

{{Short description|Atlantic hurricane in 2025}}

{{Short description|Atlantic hurricane in 2025}}

{{Current weather event|tropical cyclone|date=September 2025}}

{{Current weather event|tropical cyclone|date=September 2025}}

{{Infobox weather event

{{Infobox weather event

Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 2025

Hurricane Gabrielle is a post-tropical cyclone that is currently threatening the Azores. The seventh named storm, second hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, Gabrielle formed from a long-tracked tropical wave in the central Atlantic on September 17. Due to dry air and wind shear that had stifled its development, the system was initially disorganized with an ill-defined center.^[1][2] These same factors prevented further organization for multiple days following its formation.^[3] New bursts of convection were observed on September 19,^[4] and Gabrielle strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on September 21.^[5] Due to favorable conditions while the storm curved east of Bermuda, it rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane on September 22.^[6] Further strengthening occurred following the intensification, and Gabrielle reached its peak as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 948 mbar (27.99 inHg) that afternoon.^[7] After reaching its peak, Gabrielle began gradually weakening due to increasing dry air and wind shear, and it became a Category 3 hurricane again late on September 23.^[8] Weakening continued throughout the next day, and the system dropped to Category 1 intensity while approaching the Azores early on September 25.^[9] Gabrielle lost all tropical characteristics later that day as it lost its deep convection.^[10]

On September 11, a tropical wave entered the far eastern Atlantic from Africa.^[11] Though generating a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms as it moved across the ocean, dry and stable air stifled any potential for tropical development for several days.^[1] The disturbance became better organized on September 16,^[12] and became Tropical Depression Seven the following morning midway between Cabo Verde and the Windward Islands.^[13]
Despite having an ill-defined center with several embedded swirls, the system soon strengthened into Tropical Storm Gabrielle.^[2] The center became more defined as it relocated to the north later that same day, though the storm was not noticeably more organized on satellite imagery.^[14] The track of the storm also became less erratic by September 18.^[15] Gabrielle initially struggled to become better organized structurally due to westerly wind shear and continuous significant dry air entrainment. At the time, the storm was being steered west-northwestward by a subtropical ridge over the central Atlantic.^[3] The storm’s cloud pattern improved markedly on the afternoon of September 19, as a curved convective band pattern started to form, and the low-level center became partly covered by clouds spreading westward from new bursts of convection.^[4] The storm continued to became better organized on the morning of September 20, with increased curved banding over the eastern semicircle, and it began to strengthen.^[16] By the morning of September 21, cold convective cloud tops had begun to wrap around the circulation of the storm, and an eyewall was observed by an Air Force Reserve reconnaissance mission.^[17]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c9/Hurricane_Gabrielle_Becomes_a_Major_Storm_%28CIRA_2025-09-22_-_labels%29.webm/Hurricane_Gabrielle_Becomes_a_Major_Storm_%28CIRA_2025-09-22_-_labels%29.webm.480p.vp9.webm

That afternoon, Gabrielle strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane.^[5] Amid favorable conditions, Gabrielle rapidly intensified to a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h) early on September 22.^[6] Later that afternoon, Hurricane Hunter aircraft reconnaissance found that Gabrielle had continued to intensify, attaining Category 4 status about 180 mi (290 km) east-southeast of Bermuda.^[7] Gabrielle’s sustained winds remained at that intensity into the morning of September 23, while it turned east-northeastward.^[18] Later, as wind shear slowly increased, the system began to weaken,^[19] and the system fell below major hurricane status the following morning.^[20] Further weakening continued as the system moved over cooler waters later that day,^[21] and its intensity dropped to a Category 1 early on September 25.^[9] Most of its deep convection collapsed as further weakening occurred that afternoon while Gabrielle approached the Azores.^[22] Gabrielle lost tropical characteristics and dropped below hurricane intensity later that day as it no longer had any deep convection and its low-level center became partially exposed.^[10]

The Bermuda Weather Service issued a small craft warning during the passage of Gabrielle.^[23] Bermuda and the East Coast of the United States northward of North Carolina experienced rough seas and heightened rip current risks as a result of Gabrielle.^[24][25] Red flags were raised to indicate dangerous conditions in Bermuda.^[26][27]

A hurricane watch was issued for the Azores on September 22.^[28] The watch was upgraded to a warning on September 24.^[24] The IPMA issued orange and yellow alerts for all of the Azores. Flores and Corvo were placed under a red alert for precipitation. Terceira, Faial, Pico, São Jorge, and Graciosa were placed under a red alert for wind and rough seas.^[29] Orange alerts were eventually issued for the eastern islands.^[30] Schools and government buildings in the central and western Azores were closed for Gabrielle.^[31] Ports in Madalena, Lajes, and Horta were closed.^[32] The Regional Civil Protection Service organized rescue teams, medical units, and supplies in high-risk communities.^[33]

Flight plans were interrupted from September 25 to September 27 in the Azores.^[34]