Tropical Storm Gabrielle intensifies while hurricane center eyes 2nd Atlantic system

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Sep 20, 2025

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ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Hurricane Center on Saturday said Tropical Storm Gabrielle would grow into the season’s second hurricane by Sunday while it continued tracking an Atlantic tropical wave that could become the next named storm.

As of the NHC’s 5 p.m. advisory on Gabrielle, the system had intensified to 65 mph sustained winds located about 575 miles north-northeast of the Caribbean’s northern Leeward Islands and 580 miles southeast of Bermuda, headed northwest at 10 mph.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend out 140 miles from its center.

“A turn toward the north-northwest is forecast on Sunday, followed by a turn toward the north and northeast Monday and Monday night. On the forecast track, the center of Gabrielle is expected to pass east of Bermuda Sunday night and Monday,” forecasters said.

Projections have it growing into a Category 1 hurricane by Sunday morning, which would make it only the second hurricane of the season. It’s expected to intensify further into a Category 2 hurricane by Monday topping out with 105 mph winds, although shifting back east into the open Atlantic after passing near Bermuda.

The NHC warned swells from the system continue to threaten Bermuda with potential life-threatening surf and rip conditions.

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

As of the 8 p.m. outlook, a tropical wave was well west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands producing disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity.

“Although development is unlikely during the next couple of days, environmental conditions should gradually become more favorable for slow development of this disturbance by the middle to latter part of next week while it moves west-northwestward to northwestward across the central 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.

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.